


Another's Optics

by MadnessJones



Category: Transformers Generation One
Genre: Adventure, Body Swap, Character Study, Enemies, Friendship, G1, Gen, Sci-Fi, Trouble, adjustment, switch bodies
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-12-24
Updated: 2018-12-26
Packaged: 2019-09-26 13:10:28
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 14
Words: 33,869
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/17142356
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/MadnessJones/pseuds/MadnessJones
Summary: Due to an accident on the battlefield, Bumblebee and Starscream have switched bodies and now must live each other's lives. Will they be able to survive living as each other, or will they each be driven to the brink of destruction? No pairings.





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> This was the very first Transformers fanfiction I ever wrote, and now I'm going to share it with the good folks here on AO3. I can't guarantee the most polished writing since it's a couple years old at this point, but it's still a story that holds a special place in my heart. Probably because it was the story that really made me want to fully explore the characters in Transformers...and started my tradition of torturing poor Bumblebee. LOL! XD

 

**Chapter 1**

**The Switch**

The Autobots were rushing around inside the Ark; the ones still able to run carrying their injured to the medical bay to be repaired. Ratchet cursed softly as he saw the devastation on the bodies of his comrades and knew that he and Wheeljack would have to be the ones to patch them back together again.

The Decepticons had delivered a terrible blow to the Autobots that day. Sparkplug began opening up Ironhide to repair his fuel tank while Ratchet tweaked Bumblebee's poor damaged processor. He only prayed the damaged wouldn't be permanent. The poor young scout had been damaged while fighting Starscream. It could have been even worse.

Jazz looked up at Wheeljack from the medical berth he was lying on and tried to give a reassuring smile to his caregiver. It somehow seemed even sadder than if he'd been complaining. To be fair though, Gears was complaining enough for everyone.

"Slagging Decepticon scum!" Gears shouted over the loud noises of mechanics expertly repairing the wounded, "I can't believe we risked our tailpipes trying to get that stupid ionic conductor away from them, only for the stupid thing to break when that fragging lightning hit!  _And_  the Decepticreeps got away!"

A few long-suffering moans could be heard in the medical bay, but otherwise no one said a word to the grumbling mech. They were just grateful that the earth had been spared a horrible fate at the hands of Megatron and his goons.

Ratchet wiped some excess energon from Bumblebee's inner circuits in his head. Out of all the Autobots Bumblebee was the most damaged, and he was also the hero of the day. If he hadn't wrestled that ionic conductor pole away from Starscream then the machine would have continued to drain the earth of oxygen in an attempt to convert particles into ions, and ions into usable energon. Prowl interviewed each conscious member of the team in an effort to ascertain the condition of each one of them. When he was satisfied that most were in decent shape he ordered them to return to duty.

After several hours the only mech that was still offline was Bumblebee. Spike was worried sick, and he and his father never left Bumblebee's side. Ratchet worked tirelessly, and after he was done all they could do was wait and hoped the new components allowed his processor to recover.

Slowly, after nearly 8 hours on the recovery berth, Bumblebee began to online his optics. Ratchet hovered attentively over the younger mech and hoped there was no serious damage to his cognitive function.

"Wake up, Bumblebee," Ratchet said as the yellow mech returned to consciousness, "You've had a long night."

Bumblebee then fully onlined his optics and stared in wide-eyed horror at the doctor. He bolted upright and had the most shocked and offended look Ratchet had ever seen on his face!

"What have you done to me?!" Bumblebee shouted, but then stopped and clutched his throat abruptly.

"Easy, Bumblebee," Ratchet tried to sound comforting, "A bolt of lightning struck you when you were trying to retrieve the ionic conductor. You're going to be alright."

Bumblebee held his head in both hands and looked ready to go insane! He seemed to be trying to gather his thoughts.

"Wait...What did you call me?" Bumblebee asked hesitantly.

"Don't you remember your own name, Bumblebee?" Spike asked; concerned.

"Now you listen to me, you fl-" but before Bumblebee finished snapping at the boy, he looked at his outstretched finger pointing at Spike.

Suddenly Bumblebee became fascinated by his hands. He stared at them, and he worked the fingers as if it were the first time he had ever seen them.

"Take me to a mirror," Bumblebee said without inflection.

Everyone was starting to worry about him now. Bumblebee was acting very strange, and Ratchet feared he might have suffered amnesia or some form of processor damage.

Still, he complied with the little mech and led him to a full length mirror on the other side of the room. Ratchet noticed that Bumblebee wasn't paying attention to anything else in the room anymore. The young Autobot was enthralled with his own image. He stared at his own face as if it were the face of a stranger, He touched the glass to make sure it was really him. Ratchet knew that whatever had happened had taken a lot out of Bumblebee, so he left to attend to cleanup and allowed Bumblebee to be alone with his thoughts.

It was too bad Ratchet and the others couldn't  _hear_  those thoughts…

 _What have these slagging Autobots_ done _to me?!_  Starscream thought as he stared at the yellow reflection before him.  _It must be a trick! They're trying to get information out of me by logic-wiping me! Am I really in a new body, or is it just one of Hound's infernal projections? Well, only one way to find out…_

Starscream tried to activate his thrusters to fly. He couldn't even find where they were supposed to be! Then he transformed and looked in the mirror again. A car! He turned into a tiny car! It looked like it was made for baby humans!

"Noooooo!"

* * *

 

Meanwhile, back on the Nemesis, Hook was joylessly repairing the Decepticons that were injured in the battle. The other Constructicons were supposed to help him, but of course they bailed! They were there to help fix up the Stunticons and Laserbeak, but when the last patient left was Starscream they all left him alone to finish the task. He hated them for it, but he couldn't blame them. Starscream was a terrible patient and would often blast one of them with a null ray if he felt even the slightest discomfort.

Part of him wanted to forget the whole thing, but if he didn't repair Starscream then he would never see Megatron punish him for costing them the ionic conductor. It wasn't really his fault; he had been struck by lightning. Still, Megatron had to blame someone, and Starscream was one of his favorite targets.

After finishing with the Seeker's fried processor, Hook turned to repairing a broken ball joint connecting Starscream's left knee to his leg. It was a good thing the SIC was out cold; Hook was not very gentle in his work.

Hook had been finished with the surgery for several minutes and was washing a cloth caked with energon when Starscream came back online.

"What...What happened? Where am I?" Starscream asked softly.

Hook chuckled and said "You're gonna get it now,  _sir._  Megatron is going to grind you into powder!"

"What!?" Starscream shuddered as he frantically took in his surroundings, "Are you saying that I'm a prisoner of war?"

"Hah, you wish!" Hook laughed derisively, "Worse, you're the idiot that cost us our chance at limitless energy! We worked months on that conductor, and now it's gone! Who do you think Megatron is going to blame?"

"Me?" Starscream asked softly.

"Of course you, slag head!" Hook scoffed.

Then Starscream did something that Hook would have never expected him to do. The Seeker straightened his back proudly where he sat on the berth and proclaimed "I would do it again!"

Then suddenly Starscream stopped, and got this weird look on his face.

"What did you do to my voice?" Starscream asked suspiciously.

Hook couldn't hold back from laughing then.

"Seriously? It took you what, like, 200,000 vorns to figure out you sound like a dying bird?" Hook shouted in glee as he continued laughing at the confused Seeker.

"I'm not that old," Starscream replied matter-of-factly.

Seeing that Hook was distracted by laughing, Starscream gingerly got off the berth; never taking his wary optics off the Constructicon. He backed away from the room, and when he thought he was far enough into the hallways, he ran as fast as he could down the hallways!

He ran first down one hallway and then another; getting lost amidst all the purple walls that looked exactly the same.

When he tried to turn a corner one of his wings got caught in the wall and caused him to trip and fall down!

He hollered in pain! Seeker wings were sensitive, but how was poor Bumblebee supposed to know? He didn't even realize they were there!

As he got up on his hands and knees on the floor, he looked down at the reflective metallic surface. The shape of his form was blurry, but he could tell that the black, red, and silver reflection was not his own!

He looked at his hands. They were blue, and his peripheral vision let him see the wings on either side of his body!

"Hey 'Screamer!" Skywarp shouted as he ran down the hallway, "What are you doing just crawling around down there? You lose an optic enhancer?"

Bumblebee quickly got to his (sort of) feet, and faced the Decepticon. Skywarp wasn't nearly as tall as he remembered, but it was still unnerving to stand so close to a mech that had killed so many innocent Autobots over the course of his career.

"Hey, come on 'Screamer! Don't just stare at me like that!" Skywarp said in an easygoing manner. It was weird, "Listen, I know you had a rough day with the ion thingy, and you'll have a rougher night as Megatron's punching bag, so why don't you come on down to the rec room and have some high grade with Thundercracker and me? It'll do you good."

"Oh, I don't drink high grade," Bumblebee replied; trying to sound polite but firm.

"Haha! That's a good one!" Skywarp whooped as he slapped Starscream on the back and led him toward the break room.

Bumblebee didn't know what was going on. His mind was reeling. He looked like Starscream. He didn't know how, but he looked like Starscream and the Decepticons had no idea! How did this happen, and how was he going to get out of Decepticon Headquarters?

Another ominous thought also occurred to him. If he was here, then where was the  _real_  Starscream?


	2. Chapter 2

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hi everyone! I'm probably not going to post any more of the fic today, so these two chapters will have to sit alone for a while. I'll get back to it soon though, and hopefully archive some other fics as well. Thank you for reading and I hope you come back to see how the rest of this story goes :)

**Chapter 2**

**Cruel Fate**

Bumblebee sat in the barely lit break room of the Decepticons with a large cube of high grade energon glowing warmly in his hands. Skywarp and Thundercracker were exchanging stories and gossip, but Bumblebee didn't say much. He didn't want them to get suspicious that he wasn't really Starscream.

"So when Thrust said he met this hot femme back on Cybertron during his shore leave I just thought to myself 'I hope you didn't get a virus'! Hah! The geek!"

Skywarp laughed at his own joke, and Thundercracker sighed as he nursed his drink. Bumblebee noticed he wasn't the only one that didn't chug down the energon. Skywarp on the other hand was already slightly overcharged.

Fortunately for Bumblebee the other two Seekers didn't really say much to him or ask him for his input in the conversation. That was fine by him. He didn't want to socialize with these monsters any more than necessary.

His thoughts wandered to his friends back at Autobot Headquarters. What was that filthy Seeker doing right now? Had he hurt anyone? What about Spike, Chip, Carly, and Sparkplug? Starscream might kill the poor humans for fun! Using  _his_  body! The thought made Bumblebee suppress a shudder.

"Hey, 'Screamer?" Thundercracker prodded in an exasperated voice for the third time.

"Huh? What?" Bumblebee popped out of his reverie when he realized the Seeker was talking to him.

"I asked you what maneuver we're going to practice tonight," Thundercracker replied impatiently.

"Oh, um...I haven't decided yet," Bumblebee stammered, "Maybe we should take the night off and regroup tomorrow."

"You're giving us  _time off_?" Skywarp asked incredulously, "For real? You're not joking, right? Because I know you're probably still a little mad about that time I filled your berth with hot wax and-"

"I'm not joking!" Bumblebee cut him off in a harried voice that probably sounded too close to panic, "Take the night off. I just want to be alone tonight."

"...Okay, cool!" Skywarp said happily after waiting a few seconds.

Thundercracker didn't say anything, but he did give Starscream a scrutinizing look that set the young Autobot on edge.

Before he could analyze it though, he heard a rough voice in his comm system that could have only come from one mech…

" _Starscream_!" Bellowed Megatron over the comm link, "Meet me on the bridge,  _now_!"

The energon in Bumblebee's borrowed body froze. He didn't know what was waiting for him on that bridge, but he knew it wasn't going to be pleasant. He normally wasn't afraid of facing Decepticons. Bumblebee might not have been the best warrior, but he was usually pretty brave on the battlefield.

This was different, however. Bumblebee didn't know how to use his new weapons, and he was alone; surrounded by the enemy. Whatever Megatron had in store for him he would just have to take. He only hoped it wasn't a mission. Being forced to go on raids and potentially harm humans made his spark feel heavy in his chest.

* * *

 

The next day on the Ark brought a new set of challenges. Ratchet refused to let Bumblebee leave the medbay until he was sure he had run every conceivable test on the young scout he could think of.

Bumblebee had been acting weird ever since he had woke up and panicked at the mere sight of the doctor! That first night Bumblebee had been irate to the point of being violent, and Ratchet feared for the safety of both Bumblebee and the rest of the crew. It seemed though that with the new day Bumblebee was finally settling down and becoming more aware of his environment.

Starscream had indeed tried to attack the doctor with his arm cannon, but the new model of his weapon made aiming more difficult for him, and he hit the ceiling instead. After being restrained for the night Starscream took some time to assess the situation and plot his next course of action.

The Autobots clearly thought he was that insufferable mech Bumblebee. They were so careful and so gentle with him that it was clear this was no trick. They weren't cunning enough to pull off a scheme this involved.

So, as far as they knew, he was Bumblebee...How could Starscream use this to his advantage? He would need to get back to his lab on the Nemesis if he was to try to reverse whatever process did this to him. That could wait. He needed to find a way to gain an advantage for the Decepticons (and for himself).

The weakness of the Autobots was their strong bonds of friendship. If he could just play the part until he was free, then Starscream might be able to get his hands on some of their most classified information. If he was supposedly Bumblebee, then he might even be granted full access to Teletran I!

Bumblebee's face smiled a wicked smile as Starscream thought of all the possibilities available to him now! If he could overthrow the Autobots from the inside, then he would prove to everyone that he was a far more capable leader than Megatron! He would rule the Decepticons, and the  _universe_!

* * *

 

Bumblebee slowly made his way to the Decepticon bridge. He had to be careful due to the added width from his wings. How did the Seekers strut through these narrow hallways  _every day?_

He didn't run across too many mechs on his way to the bridge, but the ones that did see him gave him a knowing smirk at the knowledge of Megatron's fury.

When he made it to the bridge it was occupied by Megatron, Soundwave, and the Coneheads (Thrust, Ramjet, and Dirge). Ravage was also in the corner licking his metallic leg with aloof disinterest.

"Well, Starscream. So glad you could finally join us…" Megatron growled despite the rancid smile on his face, "Do you know why I called you here?"

Bumblebee straightened to attention but didn't say anything. He didn't know why he felt the need to do that, but it was the closest to showing respect he could possibly give that murderous tyrant.

Megatron titled his head and looked with amusement at his second in command. The hatred in Starscream's eyes was as clear as ever, but the rigid nervousness the Seeker had made Megatron's day.

When no one said anything for several tense seconds, Megatron cut through the silence by saying "You are here because your incompetence caused our latest source of energon to be destroyed! I'm sure you know how I reward incompetence…?"

Bumblebee wanted to say something, anything! This wasn't his fault! It wasn't even the real Starscream's fault! It was just a lightning strike! Still, between his fear and revulsion Bumblebee couldn't find his (now reedy) voice. All he could do was stand there in silence and wait for Megatron to make the first move.

Megatron took three long steps across the bridge and came face to face with the red and silver Seeker. Megatron's face was so close to his that Bumblebee could feel his air intake valves exhaling. Those pitiless red eyes seemed to bore through his spark. Bumblebee took one cautious step back.

Before he even knew what had happened, Megatron punched him in the face and sent the hapless Seeker reeling to the ground!

The Coneheads stopped what they were doing to watch the fight that was ensuing. They hated Starscream for the smug superior attitude he had always shown toward them. He always treated the Coneheads like they were useless ground pounders! Therefore, this was a welcome sight for them.

Before Bumblebee could get up, Megatron had his foot firmly planted on the Seeker's chest and was pinning him to the ground!

"Get up, Starscream!" Megatron screamed while not removing his foot from the poor kid's chest.

"I...I can't!" Bumblebee stared up at Megatron with all the hatred he could muster; which was a surprising amount considering it was Bumblebee.

He was afraid the large silver mech was going to puncture his armor and stomp on his spark casing! He had never realized before just how powerful (and how heavy) the Decepticon leader really was.

For several seconds nothing happened. Megatron kept his foot on Starscream's chest, and Bumblebee tried his best not to struggle for fear of damaging himself under the weight of Megatron. Bumblebee offlined his optics. He didn't want to see what horrors were in store for him.

Finally, Megatron lifted his foot off the dented mech. Bumblebee waited a few seconds before bringing his optics back online.

"Get up, Starscream…" Megatron said in a low voice.

Bumblebee did as he was told and slowly rose to his feet; hoping he wouldn't be hit again for his troubles.

"Consider that a warning," Megatron said in that same low tone, "If you ever cost me a victory again, then I'll use your body for spare parts. Understand?"

"Y-Yes...Sir," it made Bumblebee feel dirty to address Megatron that way, but he had to keep himself alive long enough to escape to the Ark.

"You are dismissed, Starscream," Megatron ordered, "Report back in 5 hours to begin your shift."

"Yes, sir," Bumblebee whispered before he left the bridge; humiliated and alone.


	3. Game On

**Chapter 3**

**Game On**

Starscream waited until that blasted Autobot Prowl was away from the Teletran console before he made his move. His yellow feet tiptoed across the steel floors as he cautiously made his way into the room. He wasn't sure why he was sneaking around. He knew no one would know the difference between him and the real Autobot. Still, better to be cautious and alive than brazen and dead.

He pulled a small cartridge out of subspace and was about to place it into its awaiting receptacle when a voice broke his concentration.

"Hey, Bumblebee!" That annoying human Spike called up to him.

Starscream cringed at being so rudely interrupted. He swiftly turned around to glare at the insolent flesh creature, but the human didn't seem to notice the daggers of contempt being thrown his way.

"What do you want?" Starscream asked harshly.

"Listen, I know you're not feeling well after what happened the other day," Spike said amiably, "So I talked to Carly about it, and we think we might know what will cheer you up!"

"I do not need to be  _cheered up,"_  Starscream sneered, "I have very important work to do, and I would like to be left alone!"

"Oh, it's okay Bumblebee," Spike continued undeterred, "I asked Optimus if it was okay for you to take a few hours off, and he said he insisted that you do. I think he's worried about you, too. I know your recovery hasn't been easy, but I think we can-"

Starscream wasn't listening to the boy anymore. He wondered if the human would ever shut up. The only thing he got from it was that Optimus Prime was ordering him to leave the ship for a few hours. He hoped they hadn't discovered his true identity yet. He would have to obey the Autobot leader's wishes if he wanted to ensure that his activities would continue to go unnoticed.

"So, what do you think?" Spike finally asked after a few minutes.

"What do I think about what?" Starscream asked; having tuned the boy out long ago.

"About going to the arcade with me?" Spike asked again, "Carly is going to meet us there. Who knows? Maybe this time you'll beat your high score on Polybius."

It seemed like a waste of time, but he needed to remain in character, and he knew that goody-goody Autobot loved the flesh creatures. So, he would have to grit his teeth plates and pretend to enjoy himself.

* * *

 

Bumblebee was still sore from the dent in his chest. He thought about going back to Hook to ask for repairs, but thought better of it once he remembered how pleased the Constructicon was at the idea of his SIC getting beat up. The callous attitude of the Decepticons made Bumblebee sick.

He wandered the corridors until it was time for his shift. The shift was an uneventful night of looking over read outs on monitors and training with Starscream's trine mates. After his shift he wandered the corridors some more. He couldn't even find Starscream's quarters, which was a shame since he desperately wanted to recharge.

Bumblebee knew he had to get out of there. He couldn't stay on the Nemesis one more night! Finding the exit would be difficult. He didn't know his way around the ship and knew better than to ask anyone for help.

When he would pass by a port hole he would see the ocean. Under better circumstances he might've even found the ocean beautiful and serene. Today, however, he just felt trapped in this watery tomb.

He wandered around until he found himself at a room at the right end of a hallway. The door was locked and Thundercracker was knocking insistently at the door.

"Come on! This isn't funny! I really need your help!" Thundercracker yelled at the closed door.

"Who are you looking for?" Bumblebee asked him.

Thundercracker jumped in surprise at seeing Starscream standing right behind him! He didn't even hear the fragger's footsteps!

"Oh, it's you! Who do you think I'm looking for; standing in front of your quarters and yelling like nobody's business?" Thundercracker asked roughly.

 _So this is Starscream's room_...Bumblebee thought; wondering if he could find it again if he tried.

"So, what do you need?" Bumblebee tried to sound as nice as possible when asking, but even his friendliest tones sounded snide coming out of Starscream's voice box.

"Listen, I know you normally don't grant favors…" Thundercracker started in an apprehensive tone, "...But I need access to the armory, and my clearance isn't high enough right now. Megatron's really been on my case lately, and I got demoted. I need to get to the energy nets, but I need you to open the door for me. Will you help me?"

Truth be told, Bumblebee wasn't sure he  _could_  help Thundercracker. First of all, if the armory door required a passcode then he wouldn't know what it was. If it was a vocal recognition system or an optical scanner then he would be able to help. Still, did he even want to? It was the Decepticon armory! Those weapons had spelled death and mayhem for countless species, and he didn't even know what Thundercracker was going to do with the energy nets!

"Before I agree to help you," Bumblebee said slowly, "I need to know what you plan to do with the energy nets."

"Um...It's personal," Thundercracker replied evasively.

Huh? Bumblebee did not expect that answer! What was so personal about nets? He had never seen Thundercracker look sheepish before. It was so surreal. Now what was at first careful suspicion was turning into legitimate curiosity.

"Sorry, Thundercracker. I won't help you unless you tell me what you plan to do with the nets!" Bumblebee tried to sound as commanding as possible, and had a hard time keeping a straight face, "After all, what if you damaged or lost them and Megatron found out? He would blame me! So no! I won't help you unless you tell me what you're doing!"

Getting into character as Starscream was surprisingly easy, and this was actually kind of fun. He'd never seen the Decepticons acting so...normal.

"Alright, I'll tell you, but you have to keep this to yourself!" Thundercracker hissed through gritted teeth plates, "You see, Skywarp has been playing practical jokes all over the ship and driving everyone nuts; including me. These nets are part of a payback prank I'm going to pull on him. I don't want him or anyone else to know it was me. I have a reputation to protect, and childish games are not a part of that reputation! Now Starscream, will you help me?"

Starscream's/Bumblebee's face was grinning ear-to-ear. He was trying so hard to not laugh out loud (partly because of how awful that laugh sounded). These two Seekers reminded Bumblebee of Sunstreaker and Sideswipe. Thundercracker was known throughout the Cybertronian Empire for his haughty attitude, and now he was going to play a schoolyard prank just like the twins would? It was hilarious!

"Sure, I'll help you. On one condition," Bumblebee said conspiratorially.

"What is it?" Thundercracker was nervous as he asked.

"Whatever the results of the prank are, I want you to get a picture and give it to me," Bumblebee said with poorly concealed enthusiasm.

Truth be told, Bumblebee had every reason to dislike Skywarp. Once back on Cybertron Bumblebee had been spying in an enemy camp. It was his first real scouting mission. That mission ended in disaster when Bumblebee was captured behind enemy lines and held as a prisoner of war. Skywarp had personally interrogated him, and the memories from that time haunted Bumblebee even to this day.

Bumblebee subconsciously felt the pain of the interrogation as he absentmindedly felt of his right cheek. It felt different. He had almost forgotten that he was in the body of Starscream.

Thundercracker noticed that Starscream's eyes were very far away from everything. It was weird. One minute Starscream is trying to get blackmail material out of him, then he's wholeheartedly agreeing to help him, and then he gets a thousand yard stare. He knew his trine leader was unpredictable. If he was getting even worse, then what did that mean for the hierarchy of the Decepticons?

* * *

 

Spike was riding in Bumblebee on their way to the arcade. Every now and then he would partially stick his head out of the window to feel the breeze in his hair. It was such a hot day, and for some reason Bumblebee couldn't turn on his air conditioner. Spike worried that it might be due to the damage from the last fight Bumblebee was in with the Decepticons. Spike decided the best way for both of them to get their minds off the ugliness of the Decepticons was to make small talk.

"So Bumblebee...The drive is pretty scenic, huh?" Spike asked lightly, "That new art gallery sure has a cool design, huh? A cylinder shaped building is kind of cool."

"Your butt is touching me," Starscream growled as he continued to putter along.

Starscream hated this alt mode! A tiny clown car with an ugly red Autobot insignia. Crawling along the ground like this was so humiliating! He probably would've even tolerated this human better if he could just fly above all this noisy traffic! He saw why the humans called it congestion. Traffic jams were like a disease that stopped life dead in its tracks!

Spike pointed out the arcade and Starscream tried to find a parking spot. Main St. was so crowded! Couldn't just  _one_  thing go right today?

"Hey Bumblebee? Why aren't you stopping?" Spike asked.

"I'm looking for a place to park," Starscream informed him impatiently.

"You don't have to park, silly," Spike laughed goodnaturedly, "Just transform. You're coming in with me."

"Oh, of course.  _How_  silly of me," Starscream said sarcastically, "After all, we've spent  _so_  little time together! What exactly is this place for again?"

"You don't remember?" Spike asked worriedly, "Maybe your processor is still glitched or something. Don't worry, Bumblebee. It'll all come back to you."

Starscream inwardly cursed himself for almost giving away his ignorance and thus his true identity. He needed to fake competence until he was away from the watchful eyes of the Autobots and their pet humans.

When he entered the arcade his optics and audio processors felt assaulted by all the beeping, banging, and flashing lights! The place was crawling with human sparklings! There were colorful terminals all over the room, and another room beyond it with even more attractions and machines. Where was he?

"Spike, Bumblebee, you made it!" Carly shouted as she ran toward them.

 _Oh, joy...Another human. Just what I always wanted_ … Starscream thought dryly as he stared down at the blonde haired wretch with disdainful blue optics.

"Hey Bumblebee, you're favorite game just opened up! Better stake your claim before someone else does," Carly said playfully.

Starscream almost asked which one it was, but thought better of it. He needed to act like he knew the place. Act like he  _owned_  the place!

"I want to use that one!" Starscream declared as he pointed to a game called 'Term Nator II'.

"Term Nator II? Really?" Spike asked incredulously, "But you  _hate_  that game! You said it made you sick."

Not willing to give up another micro inch of control, Starscream puffed out his yellow chest and strode confidently toward his chosen game.

"Isn't that the game where the robot goes crazy and kills humans?" Carly whispered to Spike once Bumblebee was out of earshot.

"Yeah, and Bumblebee hates that game," Spike reiterated, "He said the idea of humans exploding in a pile of blood made him want to output!"

"Want to what?" Carly asked.

"It means throw up energon," Spike explained, "I'm telling you Carly...Something is very wrong with Bumblebee. He hasn't been the same ever since that lightning struck him after his fight with Starscream. Ratchet thinks his processor might have suffered permanent damage. I'm worried, Carly. He acts like we were never friends. He acts like everything bothers him; like being alive is too stressful for him."

"You know Spike...It might not be his processor at all," Carly said after a moment of thought, "It might be shell shock. The Decepticons have been attacking on a regular basis for weeks now, and maybe it's finally getting to him. Maybe he's trying to distance himself from everyone because he's afraid of how losing a friend would affect him."

"That's silly," Spike contested, "The Decepticons attack all the time, but it's never made Bumblebee act like this! The Autobots always win. There's nothing to worry about."

"Spike, I know it's hard for us to wrap our heads around this," Carly said slowly, "But all we see is our Autobot friends and a few Decepticons trying to steal energy from earth. It looks so small when that's all we see, but beyond our planet is Cybertron, and on that planet there is a war with millions of robots' lives hanging in the balance. I still remember when I first met you guys. I was so enthralled with the idea of cool giant robots protecting the planet that I got reckless, and it almost cost several of the Autobots their lives. This is serious, and Bumblebee is the youngest member of their group. Maybe he just can't take it anymore."

"Even with being the youngest, Bumblebee is still millions of years old," Spike replied.

"Spike, all I'm saying is you should be patient with Bumblebee," Carly said softly, "He isn't well, and no matter what the cause is, what he needs right now is a friend. He'll appreciate it...eventually."

Spike turned around and looked at Bumblebee. He was happily blasting away at the virtual targets on the screen and a crowd of children had gathered to watch the young Autobot to see if he would get the high score. It was weird that Bumblebee enjoyed a shooting game so much, especially one so graphic, but Spike decided to drop the issue. At least for the first time in days Bumblebee was happy.


	4. Little Problems

**Chapter 4**

**Little Problems**

The drive back to Autobot Headquarters was surprisingly quiet. Spike didn't say much to Bumblebee. It seemed like the young robot didn't want to be bothered, and Carly's advice about being patient with Bumblebee was still fresh in Spike's mind.

Starscream was lost in his thoughts as he deftly made turns and swerved to avoid potholes.

He had actually found that loud annoying place kind of enjoyable. The game was much better than he anticipated; reminding the Seeker of his virtual reality target practice from back at the academy. The little flesh bags admired his skill and gazed in awe as he more than doubled the last player's high score! He hated humans, but one thing Starscream always loved was being admired. He even considered going back to the arcade without Spike, but thought better of it once he realized that his original body would never fit through the door.

 _Hmm...Maybe I could build a few arcade cabinets for the break room once I get back to the Nemesis_...Starscream thought absentmindedly.  _No, no, wait a minute!_  He chastised himself.  _What am I doing? I can't allow myself to get distracted by foolish children's games! I am an elite Decepticon warrior! I must focus on the task at hand and steal as many Autobot secrets as I can! Once I'm done, who knows? Maybe I'll terminate a few Autobot Sparks while they're in recharge mode._

Starscream started going a little faster on the road when the excitement of sabotage and espionage called to him.

Yes, he was going to make them pay. The Autobots would soon wish they had never been built!

* * *

 

Four days! Bumblebee had spent four slagging  _days_  living as Starscream! He was starting to see why the malicious Decepticon was such a pain in the tailpipe! If it wasn't Megatron getting on his case, it was loneliness and isolation, and if it wasn't that then it was Skywarp and his stupid jokes! He thought he hated Skywarp before, but now he  _really_  couldn't stand him!

Bumblebee had trained with the other Seekers almost every day since coming to be in this situation, and in a weird way he was glad he did. It gave him time to figure out how to use his weapons, how to transform into the fighter jet, and the maneuvers that were expected of him and his new trine mates.

Bumblebee had never noticed before how much precision was required to keep the group in a perfect V formation during flight. He was the head of the group, followed by Skywarp on his left and Thundercracker on his right, and sometimes trailed by the Coneheads.

When Bumblebee was training with the other fliers it was different than it was during the rest of the time. There was a sense of comradery in the air that was never expressed on the ground. He found this phenomenon fascinating.

Of course once they were back on the ground everything went back to normal. At one point Bumblebee had found a recording device in the washing area. Skywarp had been filming the crew while they showered and then posted it on the daily roster!

"Really now, this is just too much!" Bumblebee muttered as he smashed the camera with his bare hand.

He noticed that the higher ranking members of the crew would mock him to his face from time to time, but it seemed that the lower crew members were terrified of him. Bumblebee supposed that made sense. It was no secret that Starscream was trigger happy and was next in line for the command position.

More than the pain or the strangeness of his new body, it was the lack of contact that was starting to get to him. There was so much intrigue around this ship that a close friend or a real conversation seemed like nothing more than a fantasy. He just wanted to talk to someone about how he was feeling, but there was no one.

 _Maybe I could encrypt a message to Autobot Headquarters_...Bumblebee thought wistfully.  _Maybe contact Optimus Prime or Spike. I could ask Ironhide what I should do. I could contact Bluestreak or the twins. Yeah…_

Bumblebee sat in the break room contemplating what kind of encryption he would use as he swirled his low grade energon in its cube. He knew he'd been in the rec room for a long time, but he didn't know how long.

The Decepticons had run out of high grade the day before, and there was talk that even the medium grade would be rationed carefully very soon. There was high grade in Starscream's quarters, but Bumblebee didn't feel right about drinking it.

Plans of a raid were rumored all over the ship. They had put too much stock in the ionic conductor plan and therefore hadn't raided a power plant or oil refinery in quite some time.

Bumblebee shook his head at the waste. If they didn't insist on filtering so much energy until it turned to high grade then there would be enough energon for everyone and then some!

Until this point Bumblebee had been completely alone in the rec room, but soon the door swooshed open and one of the Reflector triplets came into the room to collect his energon and sit down for a few minutes.

Bumblebee always had to silently chuckle when he thought about the Reflector triplets. They were three different robots all named Reflector, and their Gestalt form turned all three of them into a single tiny camera! It was kind of sad, really.

Reflector sat at the opposite end of the room and didn't seem to notice Bumblebee. He kept watching the door nervously and taking quick sips of his energon when he didn't see whatever it was that he thought he would see.

After trying to avoid watching Reflector for a few minutes, Bumblebee couldn't take it anymore. His curiosity was getting the better of him. Such is the curse of youth. He had to know what Reflector was waiting for.

He quietly made his way to where the little camera-bot was sitting. Bumblebee never made a lot of noise when he walked. Cliffjumper was always saying someday some poor Autobot would trip over the youngling when they failed to hear him coming.

"Hello, Reflector," Bumblebee tried to sound friendly, but then he realized too late how sleazy a friendly Starscream sounded.

"Ahh!" Reflector actually jumped back out of his chair and fell on the floor when he caught sight of the imposing Seeker standing over him, "Oh, um...Good evening, sir! I was just leaving!"

"Wait!" Bumblebee held his arms up and hoped the little bot would stay, "I just wanted to ask you something."

"Yes sir! Anything sir!" Reflector sounded too loud and too formal as he spoke. The small Decepticon was clearly on edge.

"Well, I just wanted to know who you were waiting for?" Bumblebee asked; already feeling guilty for scaring the little guy and prying into his business, "You kept watching the door so I was wondering...why?"

Reflector wasn't sure if he was hearing things or what was going on. Commander Starscream had an odd quality to his voice. It almost sounded...humble. Reflector didn't want to get in trouble for withholding information from his superior officer, but he knew he would probably get in trouble anyway if he told the truth. He didn't know why, but something made Reflector want to trust Starscream in that moment. He knew he must be going crazy!

"Well, Commander Starscream, sir…" Reflector stammered, "I watched this room for three hours from a secret hiding place in the hallway ceiling, and I didn't see anyone come in, so I thought I was alone. I was going to drink some of the energon, and take the rest back to my brothers. It was my turn to go to the break room, you see. I was just watching to make sure no one else came in. Please don't seal the hole up, sir. We need it."

Bumblebee was sure he missed something. Why would he be infiltrating a break room? Everyone was allowed in here.

"That still doesn't explain why you were watching the door," Bumblebee said, "In fact, it doesn't explain anything at all. Why are you sneaking around in a public area?"

Reflector gulped. This was not a question he felt he could answer and remain with his body in tact. Commander Starscream was ruthless, and hated weakness above all other faults. Most things that showed weakness in the presence of Commander Starscream met with a painful death.

"Well sir…" Reflector braced himself as he spoke, "My brothers and I tend to be the favorite targets of the bigger members of the group. In order to avoid beatings we only go to the break room one at a time, and only when we're sure the coast is clear. In fact, I remember one time when you nearly pulled my brother's arm off when he arrived late for duty. I'm sure you were perfectly justified sir, but you can see why my kind tend to be cautious."

Reflector stared at the floor the entire time he spoke. He didn't want to gaze into those menacing red eyes. If he was going to die, then he didn't want to know.

If Reflector had bothered to look, however, he would've seen the pain and utter spark-ache plastered on the Seeker's face. Bumblebee couldn't fathom how a team could so callously and gleefully abuse one of their own members! Bumblebee then realized something he hadn't before. He was the smallest Autobot! If the Autobots treated each other the way Decepticons did, then Bumblebee would be just like the Reflectors. He would live in fear and snatch energon when no one was looking and recharge with one optic online at all times!

"Reflector…" Bumblebee said as evenly as he could manage, "I have some cubes of energon in my quarters that have been there for a while, but I can't remember if they are medium grade or high grade. Come with me and test them."

Bumblebee made the last sentence an order so Reflector wouldn't get suspicious. Despite the pity he felt for the little Decepticon, he still had a cover to maintain.

Reflector was still nervous, but he would never disobey a superior officer. He stood up and followed Starscream to the SIC's private quarters. He wondered if Starscream had been offended, and if he was going to kill the little camera where no one could interfere.

When they got there Bumblebee led Reflector to a stack of bright purple cubes and told the smaller bot to taste one and tell him what kind it was.

"Hm...This is definitely high grade," Reflector nodded approvingly, "Some of the best I've ever tasted, actually. You must've been holding this back for a long time."

"Yeah, well, I think I have too many," Bumblebee said as nonchalantly as he could, "I don't want the room to look cluttered. Take a couple of these away for me."

"What should I do with them, sir?" Reflector asked.

"I don't care what you do with them," Bumblebee waved away the question with as much ill-mannered attitude as he could fake, "Throw them away, take them for yourself and your brothers, or paint the halls with them! I don't care! Just get them out of my sight!"

Finally, with dawning realization, Reflector understood what was happening. He was being given permission to take two of the commander's personal cubes of high grade energon! He just stood there for a few seconds and stared at the imposing figure with awe and dread. He knew if Starscream was giving him something so valuable, then he was going to ask a hefty favor in return.

Reflector knew he was making a mistake by taking the energon for himself, but he had little choice. His brothers were hungry, and Starscream had ordered him to take the cubes.

When he had seen the second-in-command in the break room, Reflector had expected a beating. Now with a lingering fear for his future on his mind, he almost wished it he  _had_  been beaten instead.


	5. Who's Side Are You On, Anyway?

**Chapter 5**

**Who's Side Are You On, Anyway?**

Bumblebee was getting much better at imitating Starscream. He wasn't an aggressive mech by nature, so when he needed to sound commanding yet a little irritable he would think of Ratchet or Ironhide and then say something the way they would. So far it seemed to be working.

The last training exercise had been a disaster. The Constructicons transformed into Devastator and nearly crashed into Skywarp and Soundwave when they tripped over a beam! Then when ordered to 'capture' Dead End they forgot which one he was! Bumblebee didn't understand. The Constructicons were all intelligent when separated from each other, so why was Devastator dumber than a bag of toasters?

He was monitoring the scanners that searched for high concentrations of energy. Bumblebee made sure that any areas heavily populated by humans were deleted from the record. It at least made him feel a little better knowing he could do something for the Autobot cause even though he was officially working for Megatron. The problem was he was sure Starscream had the inverse idea if he was indeed in Bumblebee's body; which he still wondered about.

That got him to thinking. What if his programming had simply overridden Starscream and Bumblebee's old body was dead? What if his new programming had killed Starscream?

As he contemplated this Megatron's voice boomed over his comm link again.

"Attention! All units hearing this message will report to me in the main hangar! We are going on a raid!" Megatron ordered.

 _Oh, no!_  Bumblebee panicked.  _Not this! Not now! I can't do this! I won't help these monsters collect energon to oppress our world with! I won't help them harm those poor innocent humans down there! I can't!_

Then after his initial processor panic, Bumblebee had to collect himself. He realized that he had no choice. Either go with Megatron's army or raise suspicion about who he really was. At that moment he would've given his left arm to be back in his old body!

Still, he realized that this could be a good thing in a way. If Bumblebee was there to coordinate the attack, then at least he could minimize the casualties. After all, it was Starscream that lusted for blood more than any other Decepticon. Without that influence maybe the other Decepticons would just leave the humans alone.

Steeling himself for the task at hand, Bumblebee walked slowly to the hangar. He was trapped, but he still had his free will. He would not become a monster!

Starscream was getting sick of this schedule! After a week in the Autobot ship he had to admit one thing: these mechs had no privacy outside of their own quarters!

It was true that the atmosphere wasn't as oppressive as it was on the Nemesis, but there were always Autobots around asking how he was doing and expecting him to help with their inane projects! Just the other day he got stuck working on a guidance system for 6 hours with Tracks. Or maybe it was Smokescreen. He couldn't tell them apart and didn't really care to.

Now he found himself waiting for Sunstreaker to get off Teletran I so that he might have a chance to download a few secrets before reporting to Megatron.

Really though, as difficult as it was to get the scans in the first place, Starscream knew this wasn't the hard part. Convincing Megatron he was in fact Starscream would be the  _really_  hard part. He knew he might be killed for even trying to get too close, but if he lived then the rewards would be rich. Everyone would have to admit what a brilliant tactician he was when left to his own devices! He could see himself commanding the Decepticons someday, and a victory like this would engender a sense of confidence in him from his peers.

Finally losing patience with the golden colored narcissist, Starscream shouted "Are you almost done? I have things to do on that computer!"

"Keep your treads on, Bumblebee!" Sunstreaker snapped, "I have to get the specs for this club Sideswipe wants us to go to tonight. Need to make sure the door is wide enough for us to get through."

" _What_?!" Starscream couldn't contain himself anymore, "You mean you're just using the fragging  _search engine_? You could do that anywhere on the ship!"

"Hey, watch your mouth, brobot!" Sunstreaker snickered, "And take it easy, little guy. Sideswipe and I are locked out of the rudimentary systems ever since that prank we played on Prowl the other day. Oh, and also because I almost ran over a guy while he was crossing the street. It wasn't even my fault! He was trying to cross at a green light! I don't know why everyone gets so bent out of shape over a couple of humans. It's not like the planet isn't crawling with them! Besides, they'd turn on us in a second if given the chance, so why should I care if the stupid ones want to get themselves killed?"

Sunstreaker then realized who he was talking to, and wished he hadn't said anything. He knew how deeply Bumblebee cared about humans, and how sensitive he was about it. He thought about taking it all back, but then Bumblebee said something he never would've expected the little bot to say.

"I know, right?" Bumblebee replied wholeheartedly, "If they're just going to  _stand_  there while you're trying to drive then what should they expect besides a splattery death?"

"Yeah. Hey, yeah…" Sunstreaker agreed once he realized what Bumblebee was saying, "I mean, one day they love you and they treat you like you matter, and the next day they act like you have a rust infection!"

"Exactly," Starscream nodded, "Humans are so gullible and fickle."

"Yeah! And they always want to touch me right after a new wax job!" Sunstreaker exclaimed, "I hate it when they get their fingerprints all over my beautiful paint job!"

"Yes, I can see why that would bother you," Starscream replied in a neutral tone.

"Of course I try not to say anything around Optimus or the others," Sunstreaker admitted, "They always say the same thing; especially Ironhide. They always say 'well if you feel that way about it then why don't you join the 'Cons?' I'm telling you that really grinds my gears!"

"Say, why  _didn't_  you join the Decepticons?" Starscream asked seriously.

Sunstreaker's face darkened then.

"I would  _never_  join those murderers!" Sunstreaker barked out his words in a vicious torrent of bitterness, "When the war first began, Sideswipe and I lived in Vos. We lived in an area of the city that was predominantly Autobot with our creator. Then the 'Cons attacked. They razed the entire Autobot sector of the city to the ground! We got away, my brother and me, but our creator was killed when a group of Seekers cornered him. He never had a chance. He was just a medic! He couldn't have hurt them if he tried, but they killed him! If Ironhide hadn't taken us in, then I don't know what we would've done…"

Starscream listened to the impassioned recounting in quiet contemplation. Had he ever been to Vos? Oh, of course! He was born there. He had almost forgotten. Then as he dredged up the memories of his younglinghood, a thought crossed Starscream's mind…

"The Autobots had surrounded Vos and had cannons aimed at the skies so Seekers couldn't fly," Starscream said without inflection, "Most of that city was Decepticon territory. The Autobot sector only contained a few thousand mechs. The Decepticons attacked in retaliation for the Autobot aggression. I remember now."

"That's right! The Autobots hadn't harmed a single 'Con in Vos at that time! Yet the first idea that came to their filthy heads was to slaughter every mech, femme, and sparkling in the Autobot sector of Vos!" Sunstreaker yelled angrily, "Deceptions are garbage! Especially the Seekers!"

"How many Decepticons have you killed?" Starscream suddenly asked.

"Huh? Oh, I don't know. I lost count," Sunstreaker admitted.

"That many, huh?" Starscream nodded as he asked, "Good job. I'm glad to see their families swearing revenge against all Autobots for your actions doesn't cause you to lose recharge at night. A lesser mech would think they were being just as horrible as their so-called enemies, but you know the truth. Your allegiance is simply based on circumstances and timing. I'm glad you could come to terms with that. I've known many mechs that couldn't."

"You don't know anything, Bumblebee!" Sunstreaker shouted accusingly, "You're just a kid and you don't understand anything! Decepticons don't have feelings! They don't have remorse! They only care about themselves!"

"You don't have remorse, either,  _Autobot_ ," Starscream said snidely, "You don't agree with them, Sunstreaker. You're only here because you were born an Autobot. Oh, and just for the record, Decepticons do have families and lives outside of conquest. They just don't like to admit it. Now, if you're done with the console?"

Sunstreaker's normally impressive face had an ugly look to it as he stared daggers at Bumblebee. What kind of game was he playing? Did he seriously try to convince Sunstreaker to join the Decepticons just so he could use the  _computer_? He didn't know if Bumblebee had lost it or if he was just playing the best practical joke ever. He hoped it was the latter, but given Bumblebee's strange behavior lately he worried it was the former.


	6. Lost Chances

**Chapter 6**

**Lost Chances**

Starscream had finally managed to get rid of that stupid Sunstreaker and was logged into Teletran I. Soon he would download a map of the Ark, a series of security codes for the ship, a list of recent Autobot injuries, and countless other tidbits of useful data. The Decepticons would cripple the Autobots!

Just as Starscream was preparing the disc for download, Teletran cut him out of the system and started blaring a loud klaxon! The room was bathed in red light and a siren was causing a ringing in Starscream's ears!

 _Have I been discovered?_ Starscream thought frantically.

Just then, Optimus Prime and several Autobots entered the room running at a hurried pace. Starscream got away from Teletran I and was prepared to make a run for it, but then he noticed that Prime wasn't after him. Optimus was trying to locate the source of the alarm.

"Teletran, report!" Optimus ordered.

" **Alert! Decepticons have been detected draining energon from a power plant in sector G7 on the accompanying grid,** " Teletran informed them.

Then a map popped up showing the northwest region of the United States. It looked like the Decepticons were in Washington state.

"We've got to stop them, Prime!" Ironhide insisted.

"Right," Optimus agreed, "Ironhide, Tracks, Blaster, Hoist, Trailbreaker, Wheeljack, and Bumblebee! Transform and roll out!"

"Wait!" Starscream cried out before they could all transform, "I can't go!"

Starscream knew he sounded desperate, but he didn't care. There was no way he was going to face Megatron in this tiny useless body! Besides, he wasn't going to fight against Decepticons in behalf of these accursed Autobots! He wouldn't!

"What's wrong, Bumblebee?" Optimus asked; concerned.

"Um, I…" Starscream needed a good excuse, "I, um...I don't feel well! I've been having trouble with my transformation circuits, and I feel I would only slow you down. I should stay here and, um, keep watch here. You go, and, um, stop the Decepticons from whatever their latest plan is!"

"Well, alright Bumblebee, if you're sure," Optimus conceded, "Go to the medbay and Ratchet can repair you. Grapple, you're with us! Let's roll out!"

With that the 8 majestic Autobots transformed and made their way to face off against the evil Decepticons.

Starscream smiled as he watched them leave. It was too easy. Even Megatron wasn't that easy to manipulate! Starscream toyed with the idea of staying here and killing off Optimus Prime so he could take control of the Autobots. He dismissed the idea for two reasons. One, Bumblebee was a lower ranking officer and therefore waiting to be promoted would take too long. Two, Starscream truly hated the Autobots and everything they stood for.

Starscream was almost ready to try again with the computer when yet  _another_  interruption showed up! Starscream didn't want to turn around to see who it was. He was tired of spending the entire week being constantly thwarted in his plans for domination!

"Bumblebee," he heard a familiar voice say, "Perceptor and I need to use the main console. I know this must be inconvenient, but it won't take very long. We'll be out of your way soon."

Starscream turned around and looked up into the calm blue eyes of Skyfire; his ex-best friend. Skyfire was always tall, but in Bumblebee's body Skyfire looked downright massive!

Starscream sighed irritably, but got out of the chair and said "Fine…"

"Bumblebee. Perceptor won't be here for another 10 minutes or so. Would you care to assist me?" Skyfire asked warmly.

Truth be told, Starscream didn't want to be on the same  _planet_  as Skyfire, let alone in the same room! Starscream had done everything for that ungrateful jerk! He was the one that rescued Skyfire from a lifetime of being frozen under the earth in a block of ice! He was the one who convinced Megatron to allow Skyfire to join the Decepticons. He even promised Skyfire the position of second in command once Starscream took over the Decepticons! And how did Skyfire repay him? With insubordination and  _treason_! He joined the slagging Autobots!

Still, as much as Starscream hated Skyfire, he was also curious as to what he had been up to this whole time. He also didn't want to leave the console. So, Starscream agreed to help Skyfire with whatever it was he was working on.

Skyfire backed up a bit so Bumblebee could look at the sample he was working on and the charts that had been drawn about it.

"What is that thing?" Starscream asked when he saw the green stalky plant.

"This is a plant called horsetail," Skyfire explained, "It seemed to contain a higher amount of silica than most plants on earth. While not the richest source, it is still very interesting to see what makes this plant tick."

"You mean you need Teletran I to help you catalogue a stupid plant?" Starscream couldn't hide the exasperation in his voice.

"Not just  _this_  plant, but all of them," Skyfire explained patiently, "Perceptor and I have been cataloging every plant on earth and comparing them to what earth scientists know about. We are trying to determine what has gone extinct and what has not yet been discovered by our human hosts. If you could list all of the properties into the system I'll go bring the rest of the samples from the lab. We need to scan them using Teletran I in order to have a full 3D model on file."

"Do I need to list any variable patterns or shifts in emotional stimuli?" Starscream asked as he looked over the data.

"No, just the basics," Skyfire replied, "I'll be back in a minute."

Starscream looked over the data and typed it into Teletran I as quickly as he could manage. It was strange how quickly he forgot about his objective when presented with a new task. Starscream hated to admit it, but even after all these years science was still his natural element. He hated the monotony, but he enjoyed the idea of learning something no one else knew. If there was a newly discovered plant in these samples, he wondered if he would get to name it. The  _Terran Starscreamer_. He liked the sound of that!

Over the next hour Starscream, Skyfire, and Perceptor went over dozens of samples. It felt just like Starscream was back at the Science Academy in Polyhex. Yes, he could allow himself to imagine it just this once. He and Skyfire were still dorm mates and best friends. They were both going to be famous scientists and discover new and uncharted worlds. The war never happened, and the skies were a safe place to fly. He was far away from Vos and far away from his cold unloving creator. Skyfire was not a traitor. He was Starscream's best friend and they were still on Cybertron.

Oh, what Starscream would've given for that dream to be a reality.

* * *

 

Bumblebee felt so dirty. He and the rest of the Decepticons were at the Columbia Generating Station collecting cubes of energon. Bumblebee was trying not to think too hard about what this energon was going to be used for as he filled up his cube. At the very least he was grateful the humans had been allowed to run away without getting blown to pieces or stepped on.

While he was waiting for his cube to fill Bumblebee decided to look around at the other Decepticons to see what they were doing.

He saw Thundercracker and Skywarp filling cubes just as he was. He saw one of the Stunticons doing wheelies around the floor like an idiot while the others egged him on. He saw Soundwave standing guard at the entrance. He saw the Reflector triplets filling cubes as well.

One thing Bumblebee had noticed was that the Reflectors had been avoiding him ever since that night he gave one of them the cubes of high grade energon. He had no idea why they were still scared of him, but then he decided that it might be for the best. If Starscream was still alive then there was no reason for the triplets to get too comfortable.

The cubes were loaded into Long Haul for the trip back to base. Bumblebee just hoped he wasn't going to have to carry that stupid green dump truck all the way back to the Atlantic Ocean. Why were they on the west coast, anyway?

Bumblebee was loading a cube when he heard Soundwave say "Alert! Autobots in immediate vicinity!"

 _Oh, scrap!_  Bumblebee thought to himself.  _Maybe I can play dead_ …

"Decepticons,  _attack_!" Megatron bellowed as the Autobots came into full view outside the plant.

Most of the Decepticons transformed right away and prepared for the offensive, but Bumblebee didn't want to fight his friends. Thundercracker and Skywarp transformed, but they didn't fly away. They were waiting for their air commander expectantly.

Bumblebee realized he had to avoid raising suspicion, but he also didn't want to go after his friends. If the Autobots didn't attack him then the Seekers would.

With no choice left to him, Bumblebee transformed into Starscream's jet mode and led the trine out to the battlefield.

Megatron was blasting at Optimus Prime; who was dodging the blows with expert finesse. The Constructicons had transformed into Devastator and were making quick work of most of the Autobots! Bumblebee couldn't watch.

Hoist was surrounded by the Stunticons, and it looked as if they were all going to crash into him at once! Bumblebee had to do something!

"I'll shoot that Autobot into oblivion!" Bumblebee shouted to the Seekers.

Instead of shooting at Hoist, however, he aimed his null rays at the tires of the Stunticons! Two of them lost control, and they started crashing into each other; giving Hoist time to escape!

"You  _idiot_! You shot the Stunticons!" Skywarp hollered from Bumblebee's left.

Bumblebee didn't have time to answer, however. The Aerialbots had joined the fight, and were now shooting at the Seekers!

"We've got you now, Deceptiscum!" Air Raid shouted at the Seekers.

"I'll go after their leader!" Bumblebee shouted immediately, "You go after the others!"

"We're on it, Starscream!" Thundercracker acknowledged.

Truth be told, Bumblebee had an ulterior motive for going after Silverbolt. Silverbolt was still afraid of heights, and therefore would be an easy target for one of the other Decepticons. As long as Bumblebee could avoid damaging Silverbolt, then the other Aerialbots would be able to take care of themselves. Of course, now that he thought about it, none of them were as experienced as the Seekers. This could still be a bad idea.

Bumblebee dove down near the ground and stopped when he was flying just over the power plant. Silverbolt gave chase along with Slingshot. That was just what Bumblebee was counting on.

"I've got Starscream in my sights!" Slingshot proclaimed.

"Be careful," Silverbolt warned his comrade, "Starscream's crafty. This could be a trap."

"Don't worry about it!" Slingshot replied dismissively, "We can handle anything he's got!"

Bumblebee noticed that Slingshot was about to fire. He needed to ensure that his wings were left undamaged. Bumblebee had learned the hard way that Seeker wings were sensitive. Still, if he planned this just right…

Slingshot and Silverbolt fired, and Bumblebee flipped his body over in an aileron roll to a harder part of the armor! Both shots barely grazed the powerful Seeker's armor, but Bumblebee forced himself to crash into the mud below just a few hundred yards from the power plant!

"I'm hit!" Bumblebee shrieked; hoping his act was convincing.

"Yeah! Got him!" Slingshot shouted triumphantly.

Bumblebee worried that it had looked too fake, but it hardly mattered. Decepticon and Autobot alike were too preoccupied with the fight to even care if Starscream was lying in a mud bog somewhere nursing a gunshot wound. That was good, because it meant that Bumblebee wouldn't have to fight anymore.

He transformed back into his root mode to wait out the battle. He only hoped that the Autobots would be okay. It looked as if the Autobots were done for, but then Bumblebee saw Omega Supreme flying overhead, and he knew that they would be okay.

He was surprised that no one had checked to make sure Starscream was really down. Honestly, he had wondered if the Autobots would take him prisoner. He did not expect both factions to forget he existed, and frankly it was a little disappointing.

After Omega Supreme made quick work of Devastator the Decepticons lost their main advantage. With only a few cubes left of what they had stolen, Megatron ordered his troops to retreat. Bumblebee took this as his cue and flew away with them; still covered in mud.

As Bumblebee brought up the rear of the disgraced Decepticon parade, he managed to catch Megatron staring at him with a look of pure rancor. Bumblebee knew then that his little performance did not go unnoticed. He was in  _big_  trouble now.


	7. Desperate Measures

**Chapter 7**

**Desperate Measures**

When Bumblebee made it back to the Nemesis he was still metaphorically kicking himself for everything he could've done but hadn't. He had a chance to talk to the Autobots, and to maybe get some help, but in the heat of the moment it never even occurred to him! To be fair though, they probably wouldn't have believed him anyway. He also hated not doing more to aid the Autobots, but at least he managed to save Hoist. That decision would probably cost him his own life.

He also thought about the different faces he had seen in battle that day. He saw a lot of Autobots, but not all of them. Of course, there was only one face he was really looking for but did not see...His own. There was no Bumblebee. Was his body really dead? Did his programming really kill Starscream? If he was responsible for the death of that Seeker, then he was paying for it with his own little slice of The Pit right here at Decepticon Headquarters.

Bumblebee knew that Megatron was very angry with him for botching the fight, but he didn't know how angry and he didn't know whether or not Megatron suspected foul play. Of course, Megatron would be a fool not to suspect foul play simply because Starscream had never hid his murderous intentions toward the tyrant. Even without the Autobot complication Starscream was still dangerous to Megatron.

These thoughts raced through his head when he got the comm message from the big silver despot himself telling Starscream to meet him at the bridge  _now_.

Bumblebee took in a fresh intake of air and collected himself. He strode defiantly to the bridge and hoped he didn't look too nervous. These Decepticons were sharks and would relish any weakness 'Starscream' showed.

Sure enough, when he got to the throne room (not the bathroom; the bridge) Megatron was giving him a vengeful look and seemed to have his cannon poised for attack. Dirge and Motormaster were also in the room, and both seemed to sense the tension in the air and smiled at the nervous look on Starscream's face.

"Starscream, you have failed me yet again," Megatron almost sounded tired as he said those words, "While the rest of us were fighting the Autobots, you were playing in the mud like some kind of farm animal! Perhaps it's time I rewarded your incompetence the way it deserves…"

 _Okay_   _Bumblebee, think!_  He thought frantically to himself.  _What would the real Starscream do?_

 _Get his aft kicked…_  His mind answered itself.

 _No, not that!_  He argued within his own mind.  _I mean how does he usually get himself out of these situations?_

That's when Bumblebee remembered how Starscream usually dealt with Megatron when he was in one of these moods. Bumblebee groaned internally, knowing this was going to result in nightmares and a long shower. He remembered that when he was threatened with termination, Starscream would usually beg for mercy like a drama queen. It was so demeaning, yet Bumblebee couldn't think of an alternative to getting blown to oblivion. He only hoped he could ham it up like Starscream could.

"Megatron, wait! It wasn't my fault! It was those Aerialbots!" Bumblebee already felt like a coward, and tried his best to push past it, "Please, give me one more chance! I'll prove to you how useful I am!"

 _Oh scrap! That time I really did sound like Starscream!_  Bumblebee cursed himself for that one. _I have_ got _to get out of this body and quick!_

"I've had it with your excuses!" Megatron snapped irritably.

Then Megatron fired his fusion cannon, and it hit Bumblebee straight in his right arm! It hurt like something was melting him from the inside! He knew that Megatron could still blast him in the chest and extinguish his spark. He wanted to say something, anything, but the pain was so unbearable that he couldn't find it within himself to speak.

"Do you really want to get back at those Autobots for disgracing us?" Megatron asked menacingly; his face hard and full of intent.

Bumblebee didn't answer. He didn't want the Decepticons anywhere near his friends, but he couldn't say so. Not yet. He held his arm and waited for Megatron to continue speaking.

"We will have our revenge for this failed raid!" Megatron proclaimed, "They left us with only 5 energon cubes! Our forces are starving! Cybertron is starving! The Autobots don't care about Cybertron! They are too busy protecting a bunch of worthless flesh creatures!"

By this time Ramjet and Blitzwing had joined them on the bridge, and they along with Dirge and Motormaster were cheering on Megatron's impassioned speech! He had their attention, and it was clear that he was riling them up for battle. Bumblebee knew this probably meant another raid, and he only hoped his  _punishment_  would be staying here and away from the action.

"Well, we're going to hit the Autobots where it hurts them the most!" Megatron continued with fervor, "The Autobots work tirelessly to defend these flesh creatures. They love these insignificant little humans, and have sworn themselves to protect them. So, my Decepticons, we're going to find a human settlement far from where the Autobots patrol and kill as many humans as we can find! Then, we shall send the evidence to the Prime to prove that  _we mean business!"_

No! Even as the Decepticons cheered Bumblebee's mind was screaming! It had to be a bad dream. He was sure he would wake up any minute and everything would be okay. Megatron had never planned such petty revenge before! Why would he start now?

"Oh, and since Starscream was the most thoroughly humiliated by the Autobots and their flying younglings, he will lead the attack on the settlement!" Megatron finished as he flashed an evil smirk at his SIC.

Bumblebee did his best to keep his face impassive, but inside he was on the verge of breaking. Megatron was ordering him to lead an attack with the express purpose of killing innocent humans! Why did this have to happen to him? What could he do to save them? At that moment he almost wished Megatron had just blasted him to pieces instead. Anything but this!

Soundwave handed him the mission specs without a word. To even call them mission specs was an insult! This wasn't a mission. It was a slaughter! It was cold-sparked murder!

Bumblebee looked down at the data pad. He saw that it would only be 7 to go on the mission; himself, his trine, the Coneheads, and a Reflector to record the damage for the Autobots. Then the screen flickered off from disuse, and when the data pad went dark he could see a vague reflection of his face. Starscream's face stared back at him with the most miserable expression it ever held. It was as if the real Starscream was accusing him from beyond the grave.  _You killed me. What's a few more?_

"No…" Bumblebee whispered too softly for anyone around him to hear.

Starscream couldn't be dead. Bumblebee couldn't live the rest of his life like this! He was close to wishing for deactivation! Still, he didn't quite wish it yet. He still had hope that something could be done. He would go with the others to the massacre and try to save as many innocent human lives as he could. He might die, but he was going to die an Autobot!

* * *

 

Starscream downloaded the last of the usable data from Teletran I and smiled with wicked glee! This was it! After nearly two weeks of being trapped in the Autobot base in that ugly yellow body with constant distractions, he had finally done it! He had access codes, maps, medical records, and even a few pieces of blackmail data for a few of the higher ranking members of the Autobots! He had it all!

He rubbed his yellow hands together in anticipation as he waited for the disc to finish downloading. When it was finished, he snatched it away as if he feared an invisible hand would take it from him! He shoved it into his subspace and strolled away with a renewed sense of ease. Now for the hard part. Getting this thing back to Megatron. This would not be easy.

Starscream was heading for the hallway that would lead to the exit when he saw Ratchet, the resident medic if he recalled correctly, rushing up to meet him. Uh oh. Did he see Starscream taking the files? He started to get nervous as the medic drew closer.

"Bumblebee! Thank goodness I found you!" Ratchet exclaimed as he stopped right in front of Starscream, "I was hoping to run into you. Spike has been feeling very depressed over the past couple of days, but none of us can figure out what's wrong. You're his best friend. Maybe you could drop by his quarters and speak to him?"

"And if I refuse?" Starscream asked indignantly; not wishing to take up any more of his precious time with Autobot domestic issues.

"Why, Bumblebee! I don't know what has gotten into you, but you need to stop acting like such a spoiled child!" Ratchet huffed, "Go see Spike. That's an order! Maybe if you talk to your friend you'll have something to worry about besides your own problems. It'll be good for you both."

Ratchet's famous foul temper did not disappoint. Starscream knew it was coming; he just didn't know when. To be fair, Hook probably would have hacked a patient to pieces for insubordination. At least a patient with a lower rank than Megatron.

What surprised Starscream, however, was that Ratchet cared so much about the mental well being of a lower ranked Autobot. He had to be lower ranked, because Starscream couldn't even remember what this Spike mech looked like.

He made it to the quarters on the map, and when he was granted access he saw that the furniture in the room was much smaller than everyone else's. That teenage human sat on his soft berth and looked up at Bumblebee.

 _Oh, right. Spike is the human's name…_  Starscream had already forgotten about the humans that lived aboard the Ark. This was going to be so tedious!

"Hi, Bumblebee," Spike tried to sound cheerful as he spoke, but he didn't quite make it.

"I was ordered to talk to you," Starscream said curtly, "Why are you upset?"

The question had contempt in its tone, but if Spike noticed he didn't say anything. Spike smiled wanly up at Bumblebee and asked if he wanted to sit down. Starscream remained standing in the hopes that this wouldn't take very long.

"I don't want to burden you with my problems, Bumblebee," Spike replied.

"That's good, but if I don't find anything out they might make me come back," Starscream said sardonically.

Spike thought Bumblebee was joking, so he laughed a little at Starscream's irritable tone.

"Alright Bumblebee, I guess I can tell you," Spike acquiesced, "You see, yesterday was the anniversary of when my mom died, and I always get a little bummed out this time of year. On some level it gets easier as time goes on, but at times like this I think about all the things my mom will never see. Things like meeting the Autobots, my first car, my first job, or the day I get married. I was only 10 when she died. She never got to see the man I'm growing up to be…"

"It's probably for the best," Starscream said flippantly, "My creator saw what I grew up to be. It didn't change his opinion that I was a mistake."

"Gee Bumblebee, I didn't know you didn't get along with your parent," Spike replied sympathetically.

"It's not that big a deal," Starscream dismissed the boy's concern, "Besides, I've had other people in my life that mattered. Well…"

When Starscream actually thought about it, he only had a few people in his life that even marginally mattered to him. His trine mattered. They were like parts of his own body. If they died it would be like losing a limb. Still, he couldn't say he cared about their emotional well being or what they thought of him. He didn't care what his creator thought. That was the mech that used to deny him energon and recharge until he had successfully complete his orn's training regimen. His creator rewarded weakness with physical violence or yelling, and relished in hearing the little Seeker beg. He would not be missed.

There was only one mech who ever held a special place in Starscream's spark. The only friend he had ever had was Skyfire. When they were scientists back at the academy Starscream felt at peace. It was the only time he could ever remember feeling that way. Skyfire's betrayal hurt even worse than his supposed death, but Starscream hadn't forgotten about how he mourned his lost friend and research partner. Skyfire was the only one who looked at Starscream as something more than just a harbinger of death.

"I guess it's not the worst it could be," Spike said optimistically, "At least I have my dad, and all of you Autobots. Especially you, Bumblebee. You're my best friend. I don't know what I would do if I ever lost you."

Normally such sentimental dribble would be met with a punch or a null ray to the face, but Starscream's thoughts of Skyfire made him think of something he hadn't thought of before. The flesh creatures could form lifelong attachments as well. It didn't make Starscream respect them any more. They were still inferior scum. Still, it got him curious, and the scientist in him needed to investigate.

"So Spike, you say I'm your best friend?" Starscream asked pointedly.

"Sure Bumblebee," Spike replied without hesitation, "I've never had a friend like you. Why do you ask?"

"I'm just curious about something," Starscream replied; trying to sound casual, "I was wondering...If I joined the Decepticons, would you join them, too?"

"What!?" Spike yelped; surprised, "Why would you join the Decepticons?"

"I'm not saying I am," Starscream said lightly, "I'm just asking. If you had to choose between our friendship and your ideals, which one would you choose?"

"I would never join the 'Cons," Spike said resolutely, "They're trying to destroy the earth. Of course, it doesn't matter because you would never do that. Your integrity is one of the reasons I like you. You're the kindest and most honest mech I've ever known."

"So you're like Skyfire…" Starscream said in a voice barely above a whisper.

"What?" Spike asked after not hearing what Starscream said.

"It's nothing," Starscream dismissed it, "I was just remembering an old friend that died a long time ago. He had ideals, too. By the way, you're right. Time does make death easier. For the pain that never goes away you can fake the rest. Just put on a big confident grin and act like you have the whole world on a platter. If you do it well enough then no one will ever ask you about it again."

"You mean pretend I'm okay, even when I'm not?" Spike asked for clarification.

"Of course," Starscream replied with a smirk, "Eventually it will feel as natural as breathing. Take your fears, your insecurities, and your sorrows, and push them into a deep part of your spark. Then lock it away. Then you will feel a blissful emptiness that will allow you to do whatever you need to do and be whatever you need to be. Trust me, friend."

This was a side of Bumblebee that Spike wasn't used to seeing, yet was showing up more and more. His words were meant to be comforting, and on some level it was good to know that Bumblebee still cared about his welfare, but Spike was still feeling disconcerted by Bumblebee's conspiratorial tone. Bumblebee was talking about a pain that Spike never knew he had, and pretty much confessed that his positive outlook on life was all an act!

Bumblebee left Spike after that, and Spike replayed the conversation over in his mind to try to figure out what Bumblebee was actually trying to say. Bumblebee talked about joining the Decepticons, and about faking how you feel. Was Bumblebee going to join the 'Cons? It didn't seem right. Bumblebee believed in the Autobots more than anyone else Spike knew (besides maybe Optimus Prime himself). Still, he couldn't dismiss the weird vibe he was getting from Bumblebee and had been getting all week.

Spike had to ask himself: was Bumblebee going to betray the Autobots?

* * *

 

Bumblebee led the Decepticons in the opposite direction of the map Soundwave had given him. He would take them as close to Autobot territory as he could manage and hope there was a patrol that saw them before they started shooting up the town.

His biggest problem was stalling the Decepticons. How could he do that when Reflector was watching his every move? He had to keep it from looking too obvious. He would have to act quickly; they were approaching a small village near the cliffs.

"Let's tear these flesh creatures a new one!" Skywarp exclaimed enthusiastically.

"What's our formation, Commander?" Dirge asked Bumblebee.

"Well...Um…" Bumblebee needed a plan to stall until the Autobots arrived, "I was just thinking that we need to be at full power to carry out Megatron's orders. Maybe we should grab some energon from the power lines first."

"Nah, we'll be fine. It's  _humans_!" Skywarp dismissed Bumblebee's suggestion, "Let's rip that settlement apart!"

The Coneheads whooped and followed Skywarp down to the village. Bumblebee watched in horror as the other Decepticons shot buildings apart and stomped on humans as they were fleeing the scene! It really was a slaughter!

Bumblebee touched down just outside the village. He wanted to offline his optics, to look away from the carnage, but he couldn't. Reflector was filming Ramjet as he vaporized a human family one by one, and Skywarp's enthused battle cries were overshadowing the horrified screams of his victims.

Shaking from the trauma of witnessing such violence, Bumblebee started running away with no real destination in mind. He just wanted to get away from the village and hide. He only hoped the Autobots would show up while there was still people left to save.

As Bumblebee ran he almost plowed into Thundercracker! The blue and black Seeker hadn't seen Starscream yet.

Bumblebee watched as a human teenage boy ran out of a tool shed and directly into Thundercracker's line of fire. Thundercracker aimed his weapon, but Bumblebee noticed that he fired five feet to the boy's right; not even close enough to knock him off balance! The boy ran into the woods and Thundercracker did nothing to stop him. Then when another human couple ran close to him Thundercracker aimed his cannons again and once again didn't even come close to where the humans were!

Bumblebee finally understood what was happening. Thundercracker was missing his shots on purpose! He didn't want to kill the humans either!

Thundercracker turned around to leave when he saw Starscream standing directly behind him! He hadn't seen his trine leader, and if Starscream suspected he was purposefully neglecting the mission he knew his life was forfeit. He had to play it cool and hope Starscream wasn't too observant.

"Where should I go now, Starscream?" Thundercracker asked as casually as he could manage.

"Pick a location," Bumblebee said with shaky breath, "I trust your judgment."

Thundercracker nodded curtly and ran in the direction of the center of town where Ramjet and Reflector already were. Both Seekers were relieved that neither one had asked the other of their motives.

For a moment Bumblebee just watched Thundercracker walk away. He suddenly had a whole new respect for the Decepticon. He had no idea there was anyone within the ranks of Megatron's army that didn't relish the idea of death and destruction.

After another explosion Bumblebee couldn't stand it anymore! He had to get away from the massacre! He looked around for a place that was big enough for him to hide in. He wasn't thinking clearly about how the Decepticons would look for him once this was over. He was only thinking of escape!

He saw that there was a large cave deepen the cliff facing, and he looked around to make sure no one was watching before he made a run for it!

Once he got to the cave he had to bend down to fit his body inside. His wings gently grazed the walls, and he was starting to regret not knowing how to retract those things. He walked down the dark tunnel for a minute before he realized that he needed to turn his headlights on. He couldn't find the headlights on Starscream's body, so he had to settle for using the red lights built into his optics.

The cave ended after a quarter of a mile, so Bumblebee sat down on a boulder and turned on his red optic lights to inspect his wings for damage. He looked at his right wing and noticed a small bend at the tip, but nothing serious. Then he looked at his left wing. No damage at all. That was good. Then just beyond his left wing Bumblebee noticed something behind a rock at the end of the cave.

It was a human woman holding a toddler. She had dark hair, but he couldn't really notice anything else about her because her face was buried into her chest in an effort to protect the child. It was clear that she didn't know he had spotted her yet.

The wheels started to turn in Bumblebee's mind, and he didn't like where his thoughts were taking him. He was so tired of living as Starscream. Living among the Decepticons was fundamentally changing who he was as a mech, and he wished more than anything to be back at Autobot Headquarters safe in his berth with his work and his friends and his leader.

Looking down at the human and her child, however, brought a dark question into Bumblebee's mind. What was he willing to sacrifice to get his old life back? How far would he go?


	8. Prisoner

**Chapter 8**

**Prisoner**

Bumblebee was plotting a way to get his old life back, or at least to see if it was possible. He needed answers, and he needed to get out of Starscream's body! Still, as he stared down at the helpless humans he knew he hated this plan, and he knew he would hate himself after it was done.

Bumblebee didn't want to disturb the peaceful scene of a woman protecting her child, but he knew he needed her attention. That problem solved itself, however, when she looked up and saw his blood red optics staring back at her.

"Aaahh!" The woman screamed the instant she saw the Decepticon's face staring at her with a hard determined expression.

"Silence!" Bumblebee barked; already regretting the harsh tone he had with her.

Then Bumblebee aimed his null Ray at the humans and only by sheer force of will managed to keep his poker face.

"No!" The woman cried out, "Please, don't shoot! I beg you!"

"Calm down!" Bumblebee snapped, "You are now my prisoner. Do as you are told and I promise no harm will come to you or your child."

Bumblebee's spark ached when he saw the trembling form of the woman trying to shield her sleeping youngling. He didn't want her to be afraid of him. He didn't want to be such a brute. Still, he knew that her fear might work to his advantage. He needed her to appear to be in real danger if he was going to make this plan work.

He rooted around in Starscream's subspace and hoped he could find what he needed for the next phase of his half-baked plan. He found a small cage. That could be useful for making the humans look more pitiful.

He ordered the woman to get inside, and fortunately she obeyed without complaint. With that taken care of he just needed a way to transmit the image. Just then, he heard the sound of footsteps from a few feet away in the cave, and he saw a light! Uh oh! He couldn't afford to have the other Decepticons snooping around now!

"Commander Starscream!" He heard Reflector shout; his voice echoing in the cave, "Commander Starscream! Are you here…? In this spooky cave? Preferably without any organic monsters that hide in the shadows and eat metal…"

When Reflector finally made it to where Bumblebee was he looked up at his face and screamed! Reflector thought it was a monster.

"Ahh! Oh, Commander! Thank goodness it's you!" Reflector said in relief, "Why are you all the way back here in a cave? Everyone else left already. They made me stay behind and wait for you. Not that waiting for you isn't a privilege, sir!" He quickly added to avoid Starscream's ire.

The way the little camera cowered in fear at him made Bumblebee remember the way the poor little triplets were treated back on the Nemesis. He hated it that the Decepticons toyed with the weak like that. It wasn't right. After that thought though, Bumblebee got another idea…

"Say, Reflector, do you remember when I gave you and your brothers those cubes of high grade energon?" Bumblebee asked.

"Y-yes, sir…" Reflector answered warily; knowing there had to be a reason why he brought it up.

"Well, I was just wondering if you could do a favor for me?" Bumblebee asked as politely as he could, "I would really appreciate it, and it's for something very important and top secret."

Reflector took a deep breath and wished he could run away. He knew Starscream was probably going to ask him to do something painful or something that would get him in trouble with Megatron. He still remembered the space bridge incident. He honestly thought he was going to die that day just because Starscream wanted a guinea pig to test that stupid bridge!

Still, he was alone in a dark cave with Starscream. He knew that if he dared refuse the commander anything in here then they'd never find what little scrap remained of his body. He had no choice.

"Yes sir," Reflector replied; resigned to his fate, "Whatever you want. Top secret."

"Great!" Bumblebee exclaimed happily, "All I need you to do is film me while I send a message to the Autobots."

"The Autobots?!" Reflector practically choked on the words, "But why?"

"Shh! Top secret," Bumblebee whispered as he held a finger to his mouth plates, "Begin the video feed as soon as there's a connection. Oh, and make sure to keep that cage in the shot. I need them to see it."

Reflector looked over at the cage to see two humans softly whimpering and holding each other close. It looked to be a mother and son. What the slag was Starscream  _planning_?

* * *

 

Optimus Prime looked at the footage with a sickening feeling in his logic processor. There was no denying what they had just seen. The Decepticons went into a peaceful village with no way to defend itself and demolished everything in their path.

Optimus, Prowl, Jazz, Inferno, and Red Alert were watching the feed live as the Protectobots broadcasted their rescue efforts. There were many wounded, and several dead.

Optimus lowered his helm in grief. Megatron had gone too far this time! They had to find a way to stop the Decepticons once and for all!

Just as these and more thoughts raced through his processor, Optimus noticed a distress call coming through on Teletran I. The odd thing about the signal was that it was both encoded to prevent location lock and also contained a visual feed; something the humans weren't capable of doing.

When he opened the channel he was both surprised and disgusted to see Starscream's smirking face staring back at him. The Decepticon had a spotlight on him, as well as on a cage with two hostages inside. The room they were in appeared to be very dark. After what had just happened, Optimus knew they would need to tread carefully; for the sake of the humans.

"Hello Prime," Starscream purred as he stared back from the other side of the screen, "I am calling about a very urgent matter concerning some humans I found while I was out."

"Spare us your games, 'Con!" Red Alert snapped angrily, "We know about the village you razed! You're all going to  _pay_  for this!"

"Alright then, I'll get to the point," Starscream said curtly; his smile gone and replaced with a look of fierce determination, "If you want these humans to survive then you will bring me 30 cubes of energon at the location of my choosing. I warn you, try anything against me and they will not survive. They are from the village, and they can attest to the seriousness of the situation."

Starscream then turned back to look at the humans, and the woman instantly cowered away from his intense gaze. The Autobots could all feel their energon boil from the anger they were feeling toward the Decepticon Seeker! Still, they couldn't formulate a plan until they knew what they were up against.

"Alright Starscream, you win," Optimus said solemnly, "30 cubes of energon. No tricks and you give us the humans...Alive."

"But of course, Prime. I am a mech of my word," Starscream promised ostensibly, "That being said, I have one more condition. I insist that the cubes be delivered by Bumblebee!"

Now  _that_  one caught the Autobots off guard! What in the universe could Starscream want with Bumblebee?

"No way!" Red Alert snapped at the Decepticon.

"No Bumblebee, no humans," Starscream's reply was sharp and left no room for argument, "I'm transmitting the coordinates now. I expect your scout to be there in 2 earth hours. Oh, and make sure the energon isn't high grade. No sense in the troops getting spoiled…"

With that the transmission was abruptly cut off. The Autobots now had an important decision to make. Should they allow Bumblebee to go off on this mission alone? It had to be a trap. This whole thing screamed trap! Still, the Decepticons had already killed today and would have no qualms doing it again. They had to at least try to rescue the humans.

With no choice left to them, Optimus and the rest of the group decided. They had to allow Bumblebee to do this.

* * *

 

Starscream was with Wheeljack, Skyfire, Sparkplug, and Spike working on a new fuel pump that would recycle partially degraded energon and allow mechs to function for longer periods of time without refueling. It was going well, and Starscream knew the Decepticons would be able to make full use of this once he was back on the Nemesis and away from these Autobots.

Truth be told, he wasn't in too much of a hurry to return to the Nemesis. Not in this body. The conundrum was that he needed his lab to figure out how to return to himself again, but if he tried to sneak aboard the Decepticon ship he would be blasted into little pieces of scrap metal. He didn't trust this weak little body in a fight. He needed the skies to be most effective.

He would never admit it to himself, but he was also enjoying his time with Skyfire. It had been so long since they had consistently worked on projects together, and their ability to complement each other's work seemed as strong as ever. It was nice to be respected without the threat of someone coming along to take your position (and your life).

The door to the lab opened and Optimus Prime came in. Starscream couldn't help but be a bit nervous. Even though he wasn't the Slag-Maker (as Megatron was often called) Optimus Prime was a worthy foe and not one to be taken lightly.

"Hey, Optimus!" Wheeljack greeted him amiably, "We were just about to finish up this fuel pump! I can't remember the last time I had so much help! Uh oh, that face means something's wrong. What is it, Prime?"

"Starscream has just contacted us," Optimus said gravely.

 _Starscream_? Starscream thought in shock.  _But I'm right here! Wait! That yellow idiot really is in my body! I'll kill him if he's done anything to embarrass me in front of my fellow Decepticons!_

"Starscream?" Skyfire asked; concerned, "What did he want?"

"He has taken two humans as hostages," Optimus replied; omitting the slaughter of the village for the time being, "He has demanded 30 cubes of energon for their safe return."

"A ransom negotiation for energon?" Skyfire asked skeptically, "That doesn't sound like Starscream. He's too ambitious to stoop to something like that."

 _What is that Autobot doing?_ Starscream thought; confused.  _He surely wasn't ordered to do this by Megatron. That tin-plated blowhard doesn't care if we all starve._

"I believe it is a trap because of one stipulation," Optimus replied carefully, "He demanded that Bumblebee deliver the energon alone. Now Bumblebee, I don't want to ask you to do this if you're not up for it. We will rescue the hostages whether or not you accompany us."

"I want to go! I accept!" Starscream said immediately after Prime finished speaking.

Starscream had finally figured out what was going on. The Autobot was as sick of this arrangement as he was, and wanted to meet up with him so they could figure a way out together. This was perfect! He would have his old body back, 30 energon cubes all for himself, and the disc with Teletran I's most confidential information! He was so happy he felt he could fly around the room without his wings!

"Optimus, may I speak to you for a moment?" Spike requested in a hushed tone so no one else would hear.

"What is it Spike?" Optimus asked once they were in the hallway.

"I know this is going to sound crazy, but I don't think Bumblebee should be left alone," Spike replied pensively, "It could be nothing, but I think Bumblebee might be working for the Decepticons."

"What makes you believe this?" Optimus asked without dismissing Spike's concerns.

"I think they might've done something to him during that fight a couple weeks ago," Spike clarified, "Ever since then he's been acting strange. At first I just thought he was having trouble with his repairs, but yesterday he asked me if I would join the Decepticons if he did. I'm not saying he's a traitor, but I am saying that we can't be too careful. At least send someone to watch him."

Optimus listened to Spike patiently. He didn't like to admit it, but he too had seen the changes in their little scout. Bumblebee was a changed mech. Maybe the Insecticons got to him, or maybe Megatron had something to blackmail him with. Whatever the reason, Bumblebee wasn't the same, and he actually might betray the Autobots.

"Alright, Spike. I'll send Trailbreaker to keep an optic on him," Optimus conceded, "I just hope he doesn't find anything incriminating. At the very least, Bumblebee will have some help if this is a trap."

* * *

 

Bumblebee paced nervously outside the cave. Reflector was allowed to return to the Decepticon base after the broadcast, and the only sound Bumblebee could hear was the wind over the cliffs and the soft lullabies the human mother was singing to her sparkling.

This was going to be the moment of truth. If his body was still alive and inhabited by Starscream then maybe he could convince the Decepticon to give him back his old body. He didn't know if he would survive, or what would happen to him afterward, but he just didn't care anymore. He would die if that was what it took to be an Autobot again. He only hoped it wouldn't come to that.

Another chilling thought also crept into his processor. What if his body was dead and the Autobots just didn't tell him to avoid giving out negative information about their position to the Decepticons? He supposed if the cubes were delivered by another Autobot instead of Bumblebee then he would know.

It was getting hot. The wind didn't so much cool things down as it did punish those who were already too hot with dust and blasts of heat. Bumblebee could see the two humans were dehydrating. He looked at his internal chronometer. He still had time before the rendezvous. He flew to a nearby river and filled an empty cube with water. He hoped the water was clean enough for them to drink.

When he flew back the woman flinched when she saw him. He understood why she was still so afraid of him, but it still made him feel terrible.

"Here," Bumblebee said as he opened the door to the cage and set the woman on the edge of the cube, "You and your son can drink this."

The woman looked back at him from her perch on the cube. She looked like she wanted to say something to him, but no words came. After a few seconds she reached into the water and grabbed a handful. Bumblebee wasn't surprised when she gave her handful of water to the child so he could drink first.

As soon as they were both satisfied, Bumblebee looked back at their empty cage. He knew he should put them back. He needed them for the trade, but he hated to cause the poor things any more distress.

"Excuse me?" Bumblebee addressed the humans as softly as he could, "I need you to go back into the cage. The Autobots will be here to get you soon. It won't be long before you get to go back home."

The woman's face was pure confusion. She didn't know what to make of this mech. Why was this monster pretending to care about her? Why would he bother to show her any kindness after destroying her town and killing her husband?

"Sir, why are you doing this? What do you want from us?" She asked gingerly; hoping to avoid the mech's wrath.

Bumblebee didn't want to get into the confusing details that he barely understood. He couldn't talk to a stranger about being in another mech's body. Instead, he went with the more technical explanation.

"The Decepticons will starve without energon," Bumblebee explained, "I'm trading your freedom in exchange for energon from the Autobots. They have agreed to my terms, and you will be set free shortly."

"Yes sir, but...Why did you destroy my home?" The woman asked miserably, "What did we ever do to you?"

"Nothing," Bumblebee's answer was barely above a whisper, "Megatron orders an attack, and his troops attack. That's all there is to it. No grand ideals, no heroic reasons, and in most cases no remorse. Just soldiers obeying the orders of their tyrannical king. I wish this senseless war would just stop. I'm so tired of this…"

Bumblebee then offered his hand to help the woman and her son get down from the cube. She slunk back to the cage without another word. It was clear that neither of them wanted to talk about this anymore.

Just then, Bumblebee heard engines in the distance. It sounded small. Yes! Maybe this was Starscream in his old body!

He ran to the edge of the cliff and saw the glorious sight of a little yellow Volkswagen chugging along down the dirt path!

His excitement soon gave way to nervousness. What if Starscream had planned this all along? What if he refused to help Bumblebee get back into his own body? What if he asked a steep price to cooperate? If he was asked to betray the Autobots he would have to refuse and stay trapped in the gruesome Seeker's form forever!

Starscream stopped in front of Bumblebee and turned back into his root mode with 30 glowing cubes of energon appearing behind him from subspace. He walked closer, and suddenly Bumblebee was at a loss for words. It was so surreal to watch as his body walked toward him; as his own face stared back at him.

"Well Autobot, I'm here," Starscream said without preamble, "And I see you actually managed to keep the humans restrained for more than 10 minutes. Nice job."

Starscream's sarcasm underlined the tension in the air, and the most obvious question: Now what?

"Starscream, please, whatever you did to make us switch bodies you have to reverse it! I can't live like this anymore!" Bumblebee surprised himself with just how desperate he sounded in that moment.

Starscream then snorted derisively and said "You seriously think I would sacrifice my beautiful body to go slumming around in this  _yellow trash can_? I don't know any more about this than you do, but I can probably reverse the changes if I go back to the Nemesis and study this phenomenon with my own equipment. You have to take us there!"

Bumblebee, however, wasn't looking at Starscream anymore. He noticed a small black shadow up on the horizon of the cliff. He tried to not look like he was looking, but he surreptitiously scanned the silhouette above them. Sure enough, it was Trailbreaker, and he was watching them.

"I can't get us out of here," Bumblebee whispered, "Trailbreaker is right above us, and he's watching…"

"Hm…" Starscream thought for a few seconds before he spoke again, "I've got it! Take me prisoner!"

"Wha-?" Bumblebee asked obliviously.

"Stupid Autobot! Throw me to the ground, and point the null ray at my helm. Then yell out to him and tell him that you'll blow my processor to bits if he tries to follow us."

Bumblebee had to admit that it was a pretty good plan. Also, threatening Starscream would be easier than threatening humans. Of course, he knew he could never go through with it. It wasn't that he liked Starscream or anything, but he didn't want to damage his own helm. Besides, he had lived as Starscream, and his life was slag! Being a Decepticon was punishment enough.

Bumblebee inhaled an intake of air, steeled himself for another test of his acting skills and then roughly pushed Starscream to the ground!

Trailbreaker was about to fire, but Bumblebee shouted "Not so fast! I see you up there, Autobot scum!"

Bumblebee then pointed the deadly null ray to Starscream's borrowed helm and hollered "If you make one false move I'll frag Bumblebee from here to oblivion!"

It sounded really weird to say his own name in that context, but it seemed to work. Trailbreaker backed off, and Bumblebee finally had the advantage.

Bumblebee then grabbed Starscream's waist and pressed the blaster against his helm. It made him feel like a mugger, and he did not like this feeling. He just hoped he didn't misfire due to ignorance or something.

"Alright, Trailbreaker!" Bumblebee shouted to the top of the cliff, "I'm leaving, and Bumblebee is my prisoner! If you try to follow us, I'll kill him!"

"Good," Starscream whispered, "Now fly away before he calls for reinforcements."

Bumblebee had to stay in root mode to fly off and carry Starscream at the same time. He was slower this way, but he preferred it that way. Going too fast just meant getting bugs in his optics.

They flew away, and Trailbreaker ran down to rescue the humans. He noticed that Starscream had forgotten to take the energon cubes with him. So, he really was just after Bumblebee...but  _why_?


	9. The Puppet Master

**Chapter 9**

**The Puppet Master**

"Hurry up!" Starscream hollered as they neared the ocean, "You fly like a shuttle!"

Starscream had done nothing but complain since they left, and Bumblebee was seriously tempted to drop the no-longer-a-Seeker to his timely death. Of course if he did that then he would be trapped in this unending nightmare forever. At least this way it was almost over.

"Oh, and why did you leave the energon cubes behind?" Starscream demanded, "Are you even listening to me? Answer me, Autobot!"

It was totally weird to hear his own voice call him Autobot like that. Bumblebee didn't know how much more of this he could take.

"I left it behind because I knew you would just hoard it," Bumblebee finally replied after a minute, "Now, since this is your plan, what do we do now?"

"First, you go to Megatron and inform him that you have taken me prisoner," poor Starscream couldn't hide the wince on his face as he thought about what Megatron would likely do to him, "Once he's had his fun, you take me to a cell under the guise of interrogating me. Take me to cell #4. There's a blind spot in the back wall. I will talk softly and you will say nothing so you don't look suspicious. There are camera feeds everywhere. Once we arrive on the Nemesis you must use extreme caution. Do as I say and we will both be back in our old bodies in no time. Your body will probably be a bit more damaged than you remember it…"

Bumblebee nodded but didn't say anything. What could he say? Starscream was likely going to get beaten for this, and Bumblebee would feel the after-effects when he was transferred back into his old body. He also considered the dilemma of being a prisoner of war when he was put back into his old body, but hopefully the Autobots would find a way to save him.

The Nemesis rose from the ocean and greeted them with an open door to the main hangar. Onslaught and Brawl were inside the hangar playing cards when they saw Starscream come in carrying an Autobot struggling in his grasp.

"Hey, Starscream! What'cha got there?" Brawl asked as he eyed the yellow scout menacingly.

"A prisoner for Megatron!" Bumblebee replied a little too loudly; still nervous about the viability of the plan.

"He's in the throne room," Onslaught informed him.

"Of course he is..." Starscream muttered under his breath.

"What was that,  _Autobot_?" Brawl snapped, "Hey Commander, do you need me to teach this guy some manners?"

"Um, uh...That won't be necessary," Bumblebee stammered, "I'm sure Megatron will have  _much_  to teach him. Move it, prisoner!"

Bumblebee then jammed the null ray into Starscream's back and forced him to walk ahead of him. Starscream put his hands over his head and walked without another word. It was an awkward walk to the bridge, but fortunately they didn't have to talk to each other at this point.

* * *

 

Megatron was seated in his command chair as Thundercracker and Dirge attended to the sensor readings at the control panels. Starscream came in with an Autobot being held at gunpoint in front of him. Megatron grinned viciously as he saw his prey look at him and cower in his presence.

"What took you so long, Starscream?" Megatron asked; consciously ignoring the prisoner to prolong his internal torment, "The others came back hours ago. Did you find another mud bog to wallow in while your teammates did all the work?"

Starscream looked back at Bumblebee and silently mouthed ' _Mud bog_ '? Bumblebee stiffened under the combined scrutiny of Megatron and his so-called prisoner.

"No, sir!" Bumblebee said formally as he stood at attention, "I captured the Autobot known as Bumblebee and with your permission wish to interrogate him for sensitive information regarding the Autobots."

"Hm...You've been acting strange lately, Starscream…" Megatron mused as he looked at his second in command, "You've been much more... _compliant_  lately. You're planning something, aren't you Starscream?"

The suspicion in Megatron's voice was enough to send cold chills up Bumblebee's spinal circuits. What was the evil warlord about to do to him? How could he possibly get out of this?

Bumblebee didn't have a chance to answer his own question, because Starscream decided to bail him out of this one.

"Please Megatron! Don't leave me alone with this monster again!" Starscream cried out in his overly dramatic way, "You have no idea what kind of torture he's put me through! I'm begging you, just offline me now!"

Starscream then pretended to sob as he hid his faceplate in his hands. Bumblebee couldn't help but smirk at just how much Starscream was overacting. If this had been any other time he probably would have rolled on the floor with laughter! How did the Seeker manage to say all that with a straight face?

Bumblebee's impish smile was mistaken by the other Decepticons as confirmation of his prisoner's claims. Dirge smiled as well when he saw how the Autobot was suffering. Thundercracker, as always, was unreadable.

"As much as I would love to grant your wish, Autobot," Megatron began as he paced around the room with his hands behind his back, "You still have information we want. You, as a member of Prime's inner circle, must surely be privy to battle strategies on Cybertron, codes from Teletran I, as well as countless other delicious little secrets. Starscream, I want you to personally oversee the interrogation! Use any means you see fit…"

Realizing Megatron's dark tone was his cue, Starscream shouted "No! You can't! Don't make me go back with him! No! Noooo!"

Feeling more ridiculous by the astro second, Bumblebee had to grab Starscream by the shoulder and forcibly drag him to the elevator when he wouldn't get off his knees. Bumblebee knew Starscream was just trying to embarrass him by making the little Autobot look weak and frightened, but the scout didn't even have it in him to be angry at the Seeker. Because of Starscream they both managed to get out of there without any collateral damage to their frames. Bumblebee still didn't know how Starscream managed to pull that one off.

* * *

 

Trailbreaker was drowning himself in a cube of high grade he had bought when he took his last shore leave on Cybertron. The day just seemed to drag on, and he couldn't believe what a failure this mission had been.

"He was right  _there_!" Trailbreaker exclaimed as Jazz listened sympathetically, "He was just trying to get the humans back, and I...I let that slagging Seeker fly away with him!"

Trailbreaker was wasted, and close to overcharge. His voice was two octaves too high as he mourned the loss of his friend and his own failure. To be fair though, it didn't take much to send Trailbreaker into a downward spiral.

"I thought about putting a force field over them, but Starscream would've just shot my little buddy!" Trailbreaker sobbed.

Jazz sighed and patted his comrade on the back plates. Yep, he was wasted. Poor Trailbreaker had a bad habit of turning his processors to junk every time he felt like a failure.

"There there, it's alright," Jazz said soothingly, "You rescued the humans, and we'll get Bee back. You'll see. Everything will be just fine."

"No it won't!" Trailbreaker wailed, "Megatron's going to kill him! Or maybe Starscream is! Remember the ionic continuer?"

"You mean ionic conductor? Yeah, I 'member," Jazz nodded.

"Well, Bumblebee humiliated Starscream then, didn't he?" Trailbreaker asked rhetorically, "Well, the way I see it...The way I see it is, Starscream kidnapped Bee to get revenge on him. He didn't even take the cubes! You should've seen it, Jazz! Bee rolls in, surrenders the cubes, yells at Starscream to give back the humans, and then Starscream pulls a weapon on him! Bee didn't even put up a fight! He knew he had no chance against that disgusting Seeker! Ohh, I let my little buddy down!"

While Jazz was giving Trailbreaker a shoulder to cry on, he was also carefully listening to the recounting of events. He knew Trailbreaker didn't have that great a vantage point to see everything that happened, but he did see something that gave Jazz pause. Bumblebee didn't put up a fight.

Optimus had told Jazz the suspicions that had been circulating. Could Bumblebee really be working for the 'Cons? At first Jazz thought that was ridiculous, but after hearing the reports of the past couple weeks combined with Trailbreaker's new statement...Jazz was seriously starting to wonder…

* * *

 

When they made it to the brig the space was blessedly empty. Bumblebee read the signs until he found cell #4, and then shoved Starscream roughly into it so there would be no suspicious activity on the cameras.

Just as they had planned, Bumblebee stood outside the cell appearing bored while Starscream scooted to the back of the cell, stood against the wall, and softly began to speak.

"Alright, Autobot. Step one is to scan our processors for any signs of data storage transfer," Starscream said barely above a whisper, "I'll need my personal scanner array from my quarters for that. After that I'll tell you what tools I need, and you will bring them to me. Tap your foot if you understand."

Bumblebee tapped his foot.

"Good," Starscream replied, "The scanner is in the bottom drawer of my desk. It looks like a steel grey computer screen with yellow and green buttons and several suction cups. Those are for carrying the electric charge required for the scan. It's painful, so brace yourself when it's time."

"Wait!" Bumblebee exclaimed.

"Shh!" Starscream hissed harshly, "If you absolutely must speak, then come into the cell where the cameras cannot see or hear you."

Bumblebee tapped his foot again just in case he was expected to. He then deactivated the energy bars of the cell and stepped inside; closing the cell behind him. Starscream motioned to the wall right next to him, and Bumblebee obliged.

"Well? What was so important that it couldn't wait?" Starscream asked irritably.

"Well, I just realized...If there are cameras everywhere then they'll notice me when I grab your stuff and bring it here," Bumblebee explained, "I'm going to need an alibi."

 _Alibi_? That word had come too easily to Bumblebee's processor! At this point poor Bumblebee really did feel like he was committing some kind of crime, though at this point he couldn't say exactly what that crime was. All he knew was he was Starscream's accomplice...Puppet might be a better word.

"Hm...You're right," Starscream conceded, "Megatron doesn't know I keep personal equipment, and I would like to keep it that way. Hm…"

Starscream offlined his optics in thought as he tried to solve this problem. How to keep the cameras from seeing Bumblebee bringing medical equipment into the cell...He of course knew saying it was all part of a new torture technique would work in the short term, but the specific equipment he would use would begin to look suspicious even for him! Besides, he really wanted to keep his scanner array a secret since he built it himself and didn't want his more savage colleagues to damage it.

Finally, after a minute, Starscream's optics came online again.

"I've got it," Starscream said in a low voice; still wary of listening devices, "Skywarp. Go tell Skywarp that you need his help teleporting a few items to the cell for a new experimental form of torture. I'll give you a list of what I need, and you give that list to Skywarp. He's kind of stupid, so I'll give you a list with pictures."

"Skywarp?" Bumblebee asked pensively, "Are you sure we couldn't just do this ourselves? I could try to avoid the cameras."

"You don't know where they are," Starscream replied matter-of-factly, "In fact, there may even be some  _I_  don't know about. Skywarp is our best chance. Just don't tell him what the equipment is for and we should be fine."

"Okay...So how do I get him to help me?" Bumblebee asked, "Do I just, like, order him to or something?"

"Just say the magic words," Starscream replied airily, "Iacon, 46,000 vorns ago. He'll know what you mean and will be more than happy to help…"

Bumblebee could tell from the smile on Starscream's blue-eyed face that he had something on Skywarp. Bumblebee hated to use blackmail to get what he wanted, but at least he would have some sort of control over the situation. Oh, who was he kidding? Bumblebee had lost control the instant Starscream became his pretend prisoner! Starscream was in charge, and Bumblebee was just a pawn! He hated that feeling almost as much as he hated living as Starscream.

Still, if he ever wanted to see the outside of these walls again, if he even wanted a tiny chance of it, then he had to do whatever Starscream said for him to do.


	10. You Had To Ask

**Chapter 10**

**You Had To Ask**

Bumblebee wished Starscream had come up with another plan besides this one. Why did it have to be Skywarp? He'd rather go to the Combaticons than Skywarp! That guy made everyone around him miserable with his practical jokes and crude remarks. Of course Bumblebee could've lived with that. The memory of being interrogated by the black and purple Seeker, however, would probably haunt his processor until the day he died.

He found himself wishing it had been Thundercracker that had been blessed with the gift of teleportation. That was an odd thought, but he couldn't help but feel that it might be easier to talk to Thundercracker than to Skywarp. He didn't know why, but his opinion of the blue and grey Seeker had changed since living on this ship. He had seen that flying braggart engage in petty schoolyard pranks, try to avoid being the center of attention, and even save a few humans' lives! There was clearly more to the Decepticon than met the optics. In another universe they might have even been friends.

Bumblebee knocked on Skywarp's quarters. He did this for a few minutes before giving up and coming to terms with the fact that he wasn't there. Bumblebee would have to search the ship.

He traveled the hallways and corridors until he heard the sound of laughter in cargo room 3. He figured if there was something 'fun' going on, then Skywarp had to be there; if not directly involved.

He walked in to find a crowd gathered around Drag Strip and Wildrider, who were in the process of forming large black donuts all over the cargo room floor! The crowd was cheering and the two Stunticons were exchanging colorful insults at each other. Bumblebee found Skywarp in the fringes of the crowd cheering like the rest of the carnage hungry 'Cons.

"Skywarp!" Bumblebee had to yell over the crowd.

"Huh?" Skywarp absentmindedly turned toward Bumblebee, "Oh, hey 'Screamer! I put 50 credits on Drag Strip to kick that Wildrider's tailpipes! If you wanna place a bet Swindle is over there at the end of the room!"

"You're  _gambling_?" Bumblebee couldn't hide his distaste; Autobots would never stage such barbaric street fighting matches and then bet on them!

"Yeah!" Skywarp replied; oblivious to Bumblebee's judgment.

Bumblebee took in a deep intake of air and tried to gather his thoughts before talking to Skywarp again. The noise in the room was making his helm hurt, and his thoughts kept bringing him back to the fact that he'd left Starscream alone in a Decepticon brig with no way to protect himself if another 'Con showed up.

"Skywarp! I can see you're busy, but I need to talk to you!" Bumblebee shouted over the crowd.

"Later, 'Screamer!" Skywarp dismissed him, "After the fights!"

Unwilling to provoke the dim-witted Seeker, Bumblebee sighed and said "Alright. I'll be in the brig. Come see me right after the fight is over! I mean it! Immediately after the fight is over, I need to see you!"

"Yeah, sure!" Skywarp replied distractedly.

Bumblebee didn't know if Skywarp would show up or not. He hoped so. Starscream made it very clear that they needed him in order to evade the cameras.

He looked back at the savagery in the center of the room. Wildrider looked like he had the upper hand and Drag Strip was already losing energon. Bumblebee hated himself for thinking this way, but he was pleased with the way the fight was turning out. At least Skywarp wouldn't profit from the injury of the Stunticons.

* * *

 

Two earth hours later, and Skywarp still hadn't showed up. Bumblebee was getting worried. He would have to report something to Megatron soon, but he didn't want to leave without at least giving Starscream the equipment they needed.

Starscream had been surprisingly quiet for most of their wait time. He mentioned once or twice that Skywarp wouldn't show up and would probably pass out due to overcharging on high grade, but otherwise was quiet.

Bumblebee paced around the room like a trapped animal. One would think he was in the cage instead of Starscream. Starscream just watched the now-taller mech pace; tracing each step with his optics with a bored expression on his face. He never left his spot on the back wall. No sense looking too comfortable with the cameras watching. Still, the monotony was starting to get to him as well.

"Call him," Starscream suddenly said amid the quiet; his voice coming through like an intrusion.

"What?" Bumblebee asked as he stopped pacing.

"Call Skywarp on your comm system," Starscream elaborated, "You  _do_  know how, don't you?"

"Actually...No," Bumblebee admitted sheepishly, "I never needed to use it, so I never learned the Decepticon frequencies."

"Not even during combat training?" Starscream asked skeptically.

"No," Bumblebee replied ruefully, "I only know how to answer; not transmit."

"Get in here," Starscream demanded, "I'll show you how to contact Skywarp and/or Thundercracker. We have a private trine frequency. Megatron won't be able to trace the call if he inspects your comm history; not that it matters. I suppose there's nothing suspicious about calling your own trine mates, but better to be cautious than dead."

Bumblebee slowly entered the cell. He knew what this would entail, and he wasn't looking forward to it. Starscream would have to open an access port in the back of his helm and manually type in the frequency for him. The idea of letting that Decepticon play around in his head was not a pleasant thought, but he supposed it was his right to do so. After all, it was technically  _Starscream's_  helm.

Starscream opened the port and inserted a connector from the back of his hand. He was efficient and surprisingly gentle. Bumblebee squirmed where he sat and tried not to think too hard about what was happening.

"Alright, I found the code," Starscream announced softly; still aware of the recording devices, "I'm going to activate the frequency. Just remember what I told you to say to Skywarp."

"Okay," Bumblebee wanted to nod, but the wire was still protruding from his helm.

Starscream took the wire out and closed up the helm as Bumblebee waited for Skywarp to answer his call.

"Hey, 'Screamer!" He heard Skywarp's voice over the comm.

Oh  _great_...He really  _did_  sound over-energized!

"Skywarp!" Bumblebee didn't have to fake his angry tone this time, "You were supposed to meet with me after the fights! Where are you?"

"Huh?" Skywarp was having trouble understanding anything due to his pickled processor, "Oh! Right! I remember now! What did you want?"

Bumblebee was grateful Starscream couldn't hear this call. If Skywarp was too wasted to teleport then their whole plan would crumble to dust!

"I need you to teleport a few supplies from my quarters to the brig!" Bumblebee demanded and hoped Skywarp didn't teleport into a wall.

"Oh, yeah?" Skywarp slurred, "And why should I help you?"

"Um, Iacon, 46,000 vorns ago," Bumblebee repeated verbatim.

"What?" Skywarp didn't seem to understand, but then, "Oh, come on, 'Screamer! It was an accident! Please don't tell on me! That's ancient history! You wouldn't tell on me, right 'Screamer? My wing mate...my buddy. We're friends, right? Friends cover for each other, right, pal?"

"Yes, friends cover for each other," Bumblebee said icily, "And that's why you're going to help me. I just need a few supplies. I'll even give you a list of what I need and tell you where to find everything. I just need you to teleport them to the brig and avoid the cameras. Do you understand?"

"Oh...Sure thing, 'Screamer!" Skywarp breathed heavily as he spoke; his systems trying to keep up with the high grade in his fuel lines, "I'll help you, buddy! I love ya, mech!"

Bumblebee grimaced as the transmission was cut. He hated trying to work with a drunken colleague. A drunken  _Decepticon_  colleague...That was  _much_  worse.

"Well?" Starscream asked.

Bumblebee fished around in his subspace looking for something to write down the instructions on. Finally he came across a data pad and handed it to Starscream to write down the list.

Bumblebee walked out of the cell and tried to look like he was actually guarding the place instead of conspiring with the prisoner. If Skywarp teleported in while he was talking to Starscream that would be very bad.

Starscream informed Bumblebee that he had the list, and Bumblebee deactivated the energy bars just long enough to take it from him. Sure enough, the list actually was a series of pictures showing Skywarp where to go and what he was looking for. Bumblebee thought Starscream was only kidding about that!

It took a few minutes for Skywarp to actually teleport into the room.

"Oh, heyyyy!" Skywarp exclaimed as he stumbled over to Bumblebee, "This is the right place this time! I've been trying for almost a breem to find the right room!"

 _Geez, even Trailbreaker isn't this much of an etholholic!_  Bumblebee thought as he looked as Skywarp's slumping frame.

"Here is the list," Bumblebee handed him the data pad, "Make sure you get everything!"

"Yes, sir! I'm on it!" Skywarp gave an exaggerated salute to his commander as he teleported away.

When Skywarp was gone, Starscream muttered "If that brainless dolt breaks my equipment I'll rip out his wings and make a kite with them…"

* * *

 

It took several trips for Skywarp to bring everything back they needed. He was still overcharged, but at least he had moved around enough to work off some of that extra energy. He was almost coherent again.

"So…'Screamer…" Skywarp tried to gather his thoughts, but they seemed to want to run away from him, "...What's all this geeky equipment for?"

"It's for a new interrogation technique I plan to test on the prisoner," Bumblebee quoted their cover story.

"Really? Hey, can I see? Can I watch?" Skywarp asked excitedly, "I heard the Autobot is scared to death of you! I wanna see him squirm!"

"No!" Bumblebee replied too quickly, "I mean, I need privacy for this to work. Isolation is part of the interrogation."

"Really? I always like having an audience to watch me rip into those Autobots!" Skywarp announced proudly, "Hey, as I recall...As I recall, you always liked having an audience, too! What changed, 'Screamer? You used to be cool…"

"You're crashed, Skywarp," Bumblebee replied dryly, "Go back to your room and get some rest."

Skywarp gave him one last smarmy smile before warping away. Bumblebee's mind was hundreds of vorns away from that brig and their current situation. Yes, he remembered. Skywarp did indeed prefer an audience…

"Hey!" Starscream hissed, "Are you going to bring the equipment or not?"

Bumblebee didn't answer him. He just continued to stare, and Starscream was starting to get very annoyed at the young Autobot.

"Bumblebee! Come on! We don't have all orn!" Starscream prodded.

Bumblebee snapped back to reality then, but the pained look on his face never left as he carefully set up the scanners according to Starscream's instructions. Starscream watched the Autobot carefully to ensure everything was being set up correctly. After a few minutes everything was set up and they were ready for the first scan.

Starscream placed three suction cups on Bumblebee's helm, and then the other three on his own. The machine turned on, and both bots grunted in pain as the electric current bored its way through their plating and into their processors!

After a few minutes of pain and gritting their teeth plates, the scan was complete, and all they had to do was wait a few minutes for the results to load. Millions of years of technological advancement, and yet they still hadn't eradicated load time…

Starscream and Bumblebee sat there in boredom for a few minutes, but finally Starscream's curiosity got the better of him and he had to ask Bumblebee something.

"Say Autobot, I noticed you got a thousand yard stare before setting up the scanner," Starscream said lightly, "Did scanners kill your pet or something? What gives?"

Bumblebee hated the way Starscream joked about something as serious as PTSD, but at the same time he couldn't fault the Seeker. War was fun for this guy. He didn't understand or really care about the pain his kind had inflicted on Autobots for countless millennia. Bumblebee almost didn't want to answer him. In fact, it would be better if he didn't. Then again, maybe talking about it would make it easier to let this go before it distracted him during a more dire moment…

"It wasn't the scanners that bothered me," Bumblebee said after a minute of silent thought, "It was the way Skywarp was looking at you...Well, more specifically, the way he was looking at you in my body. Thousands of vorns ago I was assigned to spy on the city of Altihex. The Decepticons had seized it and were holding several Autobot citizens within its walls, and Optimus Prime was working on a plan to save those people. I kept to the shadows and searched every building still standing for survivors. I still remember I was on Alpha Street when I saw it…"

Bumblebee's eyes were staring straight ahead. He no longer saw or cared about Starscream. His processor was locked on the memories that had been nagging at him since arriving in this new body on the Nemesis. There was no stopping those horrid thoughts now.

"...It was a purple flash. At first, I thought the light had come from an explosion. I thought maybe I had been shot by a Decepticon, but no. There was someone behind me. It was Skywarp. I was a new cadet then. I had seen Skywarp in battle before, but I didn't really think much of him beyond 'he's a Decepticon'. I didn't even remember his name, and I couldn't even tell him apart from you or Thundercracker. He held his mounted cannon to my face and ordered me to grab his hand. Looking back on it, I'm surprised he didn't say 'pull my finger'.

"He teleported us to a dark room with nothing but a few rows of tools and a table with chains on it. It was an interrogation room deep underground, but I wouldn't learn where it was until much later. Honestly, I'm surprised anyone ever found it. Skywarp forced me onto the table and chained me down...Up until that point, I had been prepared to die, but I didn't think about...being forced to stay alive. I still remember the punches to my face, and the electric probe being forced under my plating, and the way he smiled down at me as I struggled like a trapped animal! He kept asking me where Optimus Prime was. I wouldn't give away our position no matter what he did. I knew my life meant nothing compared to the survival of tens of thousands of Autobots and stopping Megatron from enslaving the universe.

"I also remember the other Decepticons. I could barely see them in the darkness, but I knew they were there. Skywarp invited them to watch. After several joors I finally offlined. The next thing I remember is being in the repair bay in an Autobot stronghold and being asked questions about my motor functions. It turned out Prowl found out where I was being held and organized a rescue party to save me. They defeated the Decepticons and took several of them prisoner, but Skywarp got away. Of course he did...He can teleport."

Bumblebee said this last line with such defeat and disgust that it made Starscream actually look at him for a minute. Up to that point Starscream had mostly tuned out the story and had been instead watching the monitor load the results. It was still loading, with about 73% completed.

"Hm...I do remember that interrogation," Starscream said after a minute to think about it, "I wasn't there personally of course. I was leading the attack on the Crystal City. Still, I do remember Skywarp bragging about it when you were still in custody. Of course Megatron wasn't happy when he found out you got away alive," Starscream chuckled after that line, "He broke Skywarp's nose cone for that one!"

Despite hating Skywarp, Bumblebee couldn't laugh at that. He knew firsthand what Megatron's fury looked like. He didn't wish that on  _anyone_ ; not even Skywarp or Starscream.

"May I ask you something?" Bumblebee inquired, "If Megatron treats everyone around him like scrap and you no longer consider him a fit leader, then why are you still with him? Everyone knows you want to replace him as leader, so why did you ever agree to join him if you could see how badly he treats his subordinates?"

Starscream thought about that one for a minute. He thought about the beatings and the humiliation and the constant demands of perfection. He thought about the insults and the insistence of constant blind obedience.

Finally, with a wry expression on his face, Starscream replied "Because he's like a father to me…"


	11. Should've Seen That Coming

**Chapter 11**

**Should've Seen That Coming**

Bumblebee had never felt more anxious in his life. He should be down in the brig with Starscream going over data with him, but instead he was trapped in the stupid throne room listening to Megatron's latest plan for...He honestly didn't know what the megalomaniac was talking about at this point! Something about stealing some human scientist's latest invention. He wasn't listening anymore.

The only part he really cared about was that he wouldn't have to go with them this time. He and the trine would stay behind to guard the Nemesis. There would just be a skeleton crew on board the ship. It would be difficult for Bumblebee to get a free moment, but if he could it would be worth it. At least this way Megatron wouldn't be around to interfere.

When Megatron and his attack party left, Bumblebee stayed on the bridge for a few minutes to keep up appearances. Thundercracker and Frenzy were manning the controls. Bumblebee hoped they wouldn't notice him if he snuck out, and for once luck was on his side because he got out of there without a hitch.

He didn't meet any Decepticons at all on his way to the brig. That was slightly unusual, but he had to remember that most of them were gone. It took him a minute to realize something strange. For all intents and purposes, he was in charge of the ship! Bumblebee had never been in command before, and he was surprised by how little actually changed because of it. Still, it made him feel a little better to think that he was in control of the situation; even if he really wasn't.

When he went to the brig he could see Starscream focused on the computer with an array of parts littering the cell floor. It was kind of funny for Bumblebee to watch himself work like that.

"Well, what have you found out, Starscream?" Bumblebee asked curiously.

"Ah, just the Autobot scum I wanted to see," Starscream smiled back at the fake Decepticon, "Actually, I've already found out how to switch us back to our former selves."

Bumblebee's face beamed at the news.

"Unfortunately we can't actually do anything about it and we'll be trapped like this forever," Starscream finished.

Bumblebee's face sagged.

"What do you mean we can't do anything?" Bumblebee demanded to know.

"I mean we can't do anything," Starscream reaffirmed, "Our processors dumped and reloaded our vital information, only it was reloaded into the wrong processors. We would have to have our processors physically removed from our helms and placed in each other's bodies. We would both have to be unconscious, and it would take an experienced medic to perform such a surgery without causing permanent damage. I don't like this any more than you do, but we're stuck. The only medic talented enough to perform this surgery around here is Hook, and I don't trust him with this kind of information. Knowing Hook he would use this opportunity to kill us both while we were helpless under his supervision."

"Ratchet could do it!" Bumblebee suggested, "We could go to Autobot Headquarters and get Ratchet to help us!"

"We'd never make it," Starscream pointed out, "They would shoot you on sight, and knowing you, you wouldn't shoot back. Besides, I refuse to be made into an Autobot toy just for the privilege of experiencing the humiliation in my own body!"

"You agreed to be a prisoner here," Bumblebee pointed out.

"Just to get to my equipment," Starscream retorted, "Besides, I know this brig like the back of my servos. Megatron locks me in here every other week for insubordination. In the Autobot ship...I'd rather die looking like you than let them capture me."

Bumblebee was about to say something else, but then he heard his comm signal go off. It was the private frequency of the trine. He answered, and heard Thundercracker on the other end of the line.

"Starscream, Megatron has just returned and demands your presence immediately!"

Bumblebee groaned but answered in the affirmative. He didn't want to see Megatron right now. He was having enough trouble with a stubborn Starscream. How was he going to convince the proud Seeker to swallow his pride and go with Bumblebee to Autobot HQ?

* * *

 

First Aid was in a nightmare. A waking nightmare. Of course this would happen to him when he was away from his Gestalt unit. Of course they would go after an Autobot that couldn't defend himself.

Bonecrusher pushed the Protectobot harder to make him walk ahead of him. First Aid knew then...He was in The Pit.

No, not The Pit. Worse. He was in the hands of Megatron. He was in the bowels of the Nemesis, and he would likely never see the outside of it again.

It had all started so well. The Autobots had managed to protect Dr. Nakamura and his new weather machine, and the Protectobots had managed to save the lives of the people in the city, The Decepticons were outnumbered and outmatched. The Autobots won the day...So why was First Aid stupid enough to be cornered by the Constructicons and captured?

It wasn't fair. He was a pacifist. He wasn't even armed! He had no choice but to surrender. He knew there was no way out of this. Optimus Prime had already tried to negotiate with Megatron for Bumblebee's safe return, but the warlord ended their transmission with a wicked laugh and the assurance that Bumblebee was beyond their help. That meant he was either being interrogated, or else the little scout was already dead.

First Aid was led to the bridge of the Decepticon ship. He wondered for a brief instant if he could break one of the control panels for a distraction and run, but in the end he knew better. He was surrounded by Decepticons, and trying to escape now would only ensure his doom.

The little ambulance looked into Megatron's pitiless red optics and shuddered. He looked around him to see the Seekers, the Constructicons, and even the Cassettes. He wondered if he should ask about Bumblebee. FIrst Aid at least wanted to know if his friend was still alive or not.

"Well, well, well...It appears we've started an Autobot collection," Megatron wasn't talking to First Aid this time, but the Constructicons, "And why did you think we needed  _another_  prisoner? Do you think I'm lonely and need the  _company_?!"

The Constructicons shirked and looked like they wanted to turn invisible. It was clear that Megatron was not in the mood to deal with more Autobots.

"Don't blame me, Lord Megatron!" Mixmaster said suddenly, "It was Scavenger Scavenger Scavenger's fault!"

Scavenger tried to shove his helm into his neck like a turtle retreating into its shell. Mixmaster had just thrown him under the bus, and he knew his explanation would not help matters at all.

Megatron just stared at Scavenger and drummed his fingers on the arm of his chair; waiting for the Constructicon to say something.

"Well, Lord Megatron…" Scavenger fidgeted as he spoke, "I, um...Well, I saw that this Autobot was a medic, and had several desirable parts, and...I wanted to take him apart and sell him. Swindle has already shown interest in his doors, and I might want to keep his empty spark chamber after the spark has been removed."

First Aid's energon flow decreased when he heard those words. These ghouls were going to salvage him alive! It was everything he could do to remain standing after thinking about their plans for him. Still, he didn't want to appear any weaker than they already knew him to be, so he remained standing.

"Megatron!" It was Starscream who spoke this time, "Before this Autobot is scrapped, I think I should interrogate him first. I've managed to get much information from the other Autobot, but I think spending some time with this one will help me to sift through the lies and get to the truth."

"My, my, Starscream, you certainly have been enjoying your work lately, haven't you?" Megatron replied with a bemused expression, "Very well. Skywarp tells me you've developed a new technique for interrogation. Judging from your enthusiasm, should I assume it has been successful?"

If First Aid had been human, he would have gulped. As it was, he could only let out a soft whimper. Starscream had been torturing Bumblebee for three days, and now he was next! If that wasn't bad enough, Starscream kept looking at him and smiling! He was just waiting for his chance to tear First Aid apart...That is, before Scavenger and Swindle did.

"Yes, Megatron. I will have everything in order shortly," Starscream said with that ugly overconfident smirk he had, "Do I have your permission to take the prisoner to the brig for inquiry?"

"Yes, Starscream," Megatron said with a malicious smile, "Use any means you see fit. Just make sure our  _guest_  doesn't disturb anyone else with his noises."

"Soundproof room, got it!" Starscream nodded impatiently.

First Aid then felt the Seeker's hand on his arm and was forced to follow him to the elevator. Standing alone in the lift with the Decepticon SIC was unnerving to say the least. Still, they said nothing as the elevator descended to the lowers levels where the brig and the interrogation rooms were.

When they were in the halls First Aid was forced to walk ahead of the Seeker. He saw nothing but purple walls and little bulbs where cameras were kept. He could feel the cool tip of the null ray near his back, and almost wanted to provoke Starscream into shooting him. It would be more painless than whatever Starscream was planning for him in the brig.

As they approached the door, Starscream pulled him back and made him stop. First Aid looked him in the optics. He wasn't going to show fear to this Decepticon dirtbag even now!

"First Aid, I just want you to know that I'm really glad you're here, as selfish as that sounds," Starscream's words sounded strange. What did he mean by that? "You might be our last hope, and I just want you to know how sorry I am that you ended up here like this. Still, I'm really glad to see you."

Starscream seemed to be contradicting himself, and he was practically rocking back and forth on his pedes; like he just couldn't handle whatever was going on. What exactly was this unstable maniac going to do to him?

"Okay First Aid," Starscream was whispering into his audio processor now, "We're going into cell #4 together. The cameras won't be able to see us there, and then we can explain what's going on to you. You're going to be okay. Just trust me."

"Trust  _you_?" First Aid found himself saying before he could stop himself, "I would sooner trust a vat of corrosive acid to keep me in one piece than trust you!"

Starscream then got this odd expression on his face. He actually looked...hurt.

"I know this looks bad, but I need your help, please," Starscream said pitifully, "I can't live like this anymore! Just...Just follow me. You'll understand soon enough."

Starscream then typed in the access code for the final door and guided First Aid in. First Aid followed his captor apprehensively. He didn't know what was wrong with the Seeker, but clearly his logic processor was fried! Then again, he thought, maybe he was just needed by Starscream to cure an illness or treat an injury. Maybe he could try to negotiate his medical services for his freedom. It would probably never work, but he had to try something!

All those thoughts were thrown out the airlock when he saw what was in cell #4…

"Bumblebee!" First Aid cried out in joy.

There he was, and he was alive! First Aid scanned his friend for injuries, but there weren't any. In fact, he wasn't even handcuffed! First Aid then looked at the floor around the cell and saw that it was scattered with junk and monitors. Was the SIC of the Decepticons forcing Bumblebee to help him with something? It didn't make any sense! Then again, if the rumors about his defection were true…

* * *

 

Bumblebee led First Aid into the brig with a mix of celebration and nervousness. If First Aid didn't believe them then there was no hope. Then again, First Aid might believe them, and since he was Ratchet's direct apprentice then he would surely be able to perform the operation without damaging them! Bumblebee would still have to figure out how to get Starscream to let both Autobots leave, but he would think about it after everything was settled.

When First Aid saw Starscream sitting in the brig surrounded by his equipment, he shouted "Bumblebee!" With such jubilation that the real Bumblebee couldn't fight the hurt that was in his spark. This had been what he was missing for nearly three weeks. His friends eager to see him, passing fellow Autobots in the halls, no threats of death or being forced to blackmail his colleagues for favors...It was too much.

"We're coming in," Bumblebee told Starscream, "Clear a spot for us."

Starscream shoved the monitors roughly out of the way and scooted to the far corner of the cell. First Aid looked back at Bumblebee with terror and confusion in his eyes, and Bumblebee had to fight back the urge to hug him and tell him it was going to be okay. The camera would definitely pick  _that_  up.

When all three mechs were secured inside the cell at the back wall and out of camera range, First Aid found himself seated between Starscream and Bumblebee.

"Why is  _that_  here?" Starscream spat as he pointed to First Aid.

"The Constructicons took him prisoner," Bumblebee explained, "But listen! First Aid is a medic! He can help us with our problem!"

 _Why is Starscream explaining this to Bumblebee?_  First Aid thought.  _And_   _why_   _does Bee seem to not know me? What is_ going on?

"Alright, First Aid, I'm going to tell you what's happened," Bumblebee said as calmly as he could. He didn't want to look like a threat to the little medic, "Starscream and I switched bodies after lightning hit that ionic conductor we were struggling for a few weeks ago. Our processors reloaded our information into the wrong bodies, and now we're stuck like this until we can switch the processors back. This will require an invasive surgery, and we don't trust the Decepticons to do that for us. Nobody else knows what happened except you. Please, can you help us get back to normal? I can't tell you how awful it has been living like a Decepticon for so long!"

"Three weeks is not long!" Starscream huffed, "Though to be fair, it feels like an eternity when you're stuck in Autobot Headquarters listening to humans talk about their feelings and fiddling with the same experiments over and over again. How do you stand it?"

First Aid looked from one to the other with confusion written all over his face. They switched bodies? That seemed ridiculous! How could a Cybertronian carry the spark of another and live to tell the tale? How could they keep this from changing who they were? Still, both agreed to the story, which seemed farfetched enough. In a weird way, this made more sense to First Aid than the idea that Bumblebee would ever betray the Autobots or that Starscream would ever speak kindly to him.

"You really are Bumblebee?" First Aid felt dumb for asking, but it was the only thing he could think of to say.

"Yes, and that is really Starscream," Bumblebee confirmed, "Oh, and speaking of which...Starscream, if First Aid decides to help us, I want you to promise me that you'll figure out a way to free him. Promise me!"

Starscream lazily looked over at Bumblebee and said "I suppose it's a small price to pay to get you out of my body."

Bumblebee sighed in relief, and First Aid just realized that he was cornered into a dangerous assignment he never agreed to. He was expected to perform a surgery that could kill two mechs! If he failed, it would be the end for both his dear friend Bumblebee as well as the second most powerful Decepticon in the universe!

* * *

 

"I wish you would let me work in the medical facility," First Aid complained as he looked over the two mechs sprawled out on the floor waiting to be offlined for the surgery.

"I told you we can't risk it," Starscream snapped impatiently, "Now hurry up and put in the tranquilizer codes! I'm eager to escape this tiny tin-plated pestilence!"

"You're not the only one," Bumblebee agreed wholeheartedly, "I never knew how much of an inconvenience wings were until I had to tiptoe around every corridor and enclosed space imaginable. Still, it was kind of cool to be able to fly for a while."

"You weren't flying!" Starscream contested, "You were sky crawling!  _Soundwave_  flies faster than you, and he's a cassette carrier!"

"Can you two save it for after I'm done here?" First Aid asked with an exasperated tone of voice, "I'm already nervous enough without you two bickering at each other."

Bumblebee nodded and Starscream shifted on the floor to get more comfortable. First Aid put in the codes and began the countdown to when both mechs would shut down. It would take Bumblebee a few seconds longer because Starscream's body had two fuel tanks to regulate instead of one, and that interfered with his sleep pattern.

First Aid still remembered when he asked how they were going to get in the medical bay. Starscream had informed him that they were going to have him operate in the cell after he procured the necessary parts. When asked how they were going to get the parts, they told him  _Skywarp_  was going to get them! At first he thought they had told him about what was going on, but then Bumblebee sheepishly admitted to blackmailing the Seeker into submission! This was a really weird day…

When they were finally offline First Aid got to work. This procedure had to be done quickly, yet with extreme care. The body couldn't last longer than ten minutes without the processor! First Aid started by opening their helms. He had to do them both at the same time because he couldn't afford to waste time with just one. He had to carefully separate the wires above the processors and comb through their internal systems to even find what he was looking for.

First Aid did  _not_  feel qualified for this. He was just an apprentice medic. He wasn't nearly as skilled as Ratchet, and he didn't have experience with a surgery this complex. He couldn't live with himself if he lost a patient; even if that patient was Starscream.

That sent First Aid's train of thought to something he hadn't considered before. They told him that the switch occurred three weeks ago. That meant that for three weeks Starscream had been living in the Ark with them! When Spike and the Autobots thought Bumblebee was a potential traitor...It wasn't Bumblebee at all!

First Aid felt like he wanted to output! Starscream had been the one to talk to Spike! He had been in the Ark with full access to its secrets and its personnel! They were lucky he didn't sneak around killing everyone while their backs were turned!

He had to push these thoughts aside as he operated on the two offline patients. It wasn't glamorous work in this dirty cell with these second-rate tools, but before long First Aid had managed to remove the processors, carefully solder them back in place, and then reattach every other connection that had been severed during the surgery. After closing up their helms, there was only one thing left to do...Turn them back on.

First Aid rebooted their systems and balled his servos into fists while he anxiously waited to see if they were back to themselves.

Bumblebee was the first to awaken. He rubbed his helm and looked around, and First Aid wondered if it was really Bumblebee or if it was Starscream. If the processor swap didn't work then they were out of ideas!

"Um...Bumblebee?" First Aid asked cautiously.

"Yeah?" Bumblebee answered groggily.

"Bumblebee! It's you!" First Aid rushed over to hug him.

The two friends embraced each other as they realized that the surgery was a success and Bumblebee was finally back in his own plating! Bumblebee smiled the widest and most sincere smile he had since the transfer began! It felt so great to be back to normal!

After a moment of celebrating, however, Bumblebee looked at Starscream. He was still offline.

"Should you induce consciousness?" Bumblebee asked First Aid, "He's still out cold."

"It'll take a few more minutes," First Aid replied calmly, "His body is different from yours. He has more complex systems than you do, so it takes a little longer for them to boot up. Don't worry Bee, he's fine. He'll be up and insulting us shortly."

Bumblebee somehow managed to both smile and grimace at that. He wasn't looking forward to talking to Starscream, but after everything that had happened to them he felt like he knew the Seeker better now. Part of him actually wanted Starscream to be okay. He even dared to hope that maybe they could learn to respect each other better now that they knew what each other's lives were like.

Starscream's systems came online suddenly, and he bolted upright and surveyed his surroundings immediately. It actually made the two Autobots flinch back a little! While Bumblebee had dealt with fatigue, it was clear that Starscream was already at 100% efficiency.

Starscream looked at the Autobots, and then looked down at his blue servos and his red and silver frame. He stood, and Bumblebee walked over to him. First Aid reluctantly followed.

As Starscream paced around the cell, he noticed how small the other mechs looked to him now. He knew he would never take his height for granted again!

"I'm glad everything worked out," Bumblebee said to Starscream, "Do you feel okay? Any dizziness or steering problems?"

"No, everything's fine now," Starscream replied.

"Great!" First Aid exclaimed; finally starting to feel the excitement of a job well done, "So how do you plan to get us out of the Nemesis?"

Starscream didn't answer. Not with words, anyway. He held a null ray to their faces as a slasher smile slowly crept up on his gunmetal face. That was when the young Autobots realized...They were doomed again.

"You can't do this, Starscream!" Bumblebee yelled despite the dire situation, "You promised you would help us!"

"No I didn't," Starscream chuckled, "I said I would help you get back in your old body, and you're in it. I said the medic's freedom was a low price to pay for my body back, but I didn't say I would pay it. Oh, I guess I could've just lied, but omission is so much more fun. It's like a game! See how long you can go without lying and still get what you want."

Bumblebee glowered at Starscream with such vehemence. His fists shook, and he wanted so badly to pounce on him and wipe that smug look of his face! Still, he wasn't the only one in danger. If he made one move toward the Seeker then First Aid would pay the price for it.

"Still, after all we've been through I feel I do owe you something before your execution," Starscream continued nonchalantly, "So I'm going to tell you one of my most intimate secrets. This is something not even Skywarp and Thundercracker know about me…"

Bumblebee felt himself shudder. Starscream's smile never left, but his voice was so dark and full of malice that when he leaned closer to Bumblebee the poor scout actually tried to lean back against the wall further.

Starscream grabbed the yellow robot by the neck to hold him in place, and then whispered into his audio processor  _"I killed my father."_

That was the last thing Bumblebee heard before the world went black and pain erupted all over his body! Starscream had shot him, and Bumblebee's last thoughts before going offline was of how he had failed his friend First Aid. He should've known better than to trust Starscream...


	12. Forgiveness

**Chapter 12**

**Forgiveness**

Bumblebee woke up to a sore helm and paralysis lingering in his arms and legs. That null ray wasn't set to kill, but it certainly did a number on Bumblebee's systems. He couldn't believe that he had allowed himself to think for even a second that Starscream could change! Even the dark glee with which Starscream shared his so-called secret was chilling. Bumblebee couldn't imagine killing his own creator, yet Starscream treated the confession as if it were the story of his first kiss!

Bumblebee onlined his optics to get a better look at his surroundings. He realized he was in cell #6; the one directly in front of two cameras. First Aid was in cell #1 all the way on the other side of the room. Bumblebee could barely see anything of him. He also noticed that Starscream wasn't guarding them anymore. Their new guard was Thundercracker, and he looked thoroughly bored standing next to the door.

Thundercracker turned when Bumblebee tried to move his body to a sitting position. Bumblebee didn't quite make it, and fell down again with a thud right on his back!

"I see you're alive, prisoner," Thundercracker said as he approached Bee's cell, "I am surprised you have lasted so long under Starscream's care. Oh well, no matter. Starscream has requested permission to execute you and the medic, and Megatron has granted it. You only have half an orn left to live."

Thundercracker's tone wasn't caring by any stretch of the imagination, but neither was it malicious taunting. He mostly just sounded like he was playing a part; as if he were forced into an awkward situation and was reading cue cards to push through it. Bumblebee sighed. He was too weak to do much more.

When Thundercracker turned to go back to the entrance, Bumblebee found himself saying "Wait!" before he even even had a chance to think about it.

"What do you want, Autobot?" Thundercracker groused.

"May I ask...I mean, what method of execution was chosen for me?" Bumblebee asked nervously.

"You and the other Autobot will be crushed into cubes. The Constructicons are working on the device as we speak," Thundercracker replied.

"Alright then," Bumblebee muttered; resigned to his fate, "There is just one more thing I want to say to you, Thundercracker."

"You might as well," Thundercracker replied.

Thundercracker had dealt with countless Autobots on their death berths, and he was used to hearing every insult and plea that could possibly come from their mouth plates. They cursed the Decepticons, Megatron, and Thundercracker personally. He had heard it all...or so he thought.

"I want to say I understand, and I forgive you," Bumblebee said solemnly, "I know this war has made us all do questionable things to survive. I know that both Autobots and Decepticons have their reasons for why they fight. I don't know what yours are, and in the end it probably doesn't matter, but I just want you to know that I don't hold this against you. I hope you survive until this war is over. I hope you can find peace in whatever life you choose whenever Cybertron is restored. I hope...someday…"

Bumblebee was going offline again. His poor body was trying with all its might to counteract the effect of the null rays. Thundercracker just stood there and stared at the little mech recharging on the floor. He really did look peaceful despite all he had been through.

Thundercracker wondered what Starscream did to him. Was the Autobot's processor fried beyond repair? Did he think Thundercracker was someone else? Why would this ground pounder wish Thundercracker  _peace_? He didn't understand, and he wasn't sure he wanted to understand.

The blue and grey Seeker turned his attention to the second prisoner. First Aid was in a huddled position with his arms around his knees. He didn't move when the Seeker came close to the energy bars. He just stared with a wide yet uncomprehending visor. Thundercracker wasn't surprised. Starscream had foregone the null rays and instead had forced the medic down and opened his helm; playing with whatever wires he found. It clearly left an impression on the Protectobot.

"Hey, prisoner!" Thundercracker called to First Aid, "You only have half an orn left to live. Do you need any help getting your affairs in order?"

Thundercracker didn't know why he even asked. Normally he showed no pity for the Autobot prisoners they condemned, but something about the way the yellow one had spoken to him made him want to at least give them some measure of comfort before they died.

"They're going to  _salvage_  me…" First Aid whispered cryptically, "...They're going to take me apart...I  _saved_  him...why did he do this?"

Thundercracker returned to his post without a word. He knew it was pointless. The Autobot was just muttering to himself at this point.

After a few breems Thundercracker was relieved of duty by Rumble and was allowed to return to his quarters. Thundercracker found himself wandering the corridors with the little Autobot's words still buzzing around in his processor.

_This war has made us all do questionable things to survive…_

_I hope you can find peace after the war in whatever you choose to do…_

_I understand...and I forgive you…_

Thundercracker walked until he found himself in the main hangar. He activated the switch that lifted the Nemesis out of the ocean and into the open air. Then he opened the door and flew away. The sky was calling him, and a sense of purpose drove his direction as he contemplated his enemies and the unexpected words of kindness from the yellow scout.

* * *

 

Starscream lied on his berth and sighed a contented sigh. He had never been so happy to be back in his room! Still, all was not well within his wretched soul. He had been a fool to bring up his creator to those slagging Autobots! Now they would likely try to use this information to blackmail him. To be fair, war crimes weren't exactly new to the Decepticons, but to Starscream this information was personal; it was, after all, his first kill.

Oh, his memory banks weren't what they used to be, likely due to the processor switch, but he clearly remembered the events that led up to that fateful day…

His creator was a lower-ranked soldier for the High Council of Cybertron; back in the days before the Decepticons rose against the oppression the council wrought upon them. War-makes were expected to obey without question, and were often treated as second class citizens in favor of the more intellectually inclined higher class.

His father had tried to create many times before Starscream (and many times after as well). The old Tank's spark was erratic, and every time he tried to create he usually wound up losing the protoform before it could even form a sparkling. This was highly dishonorable to a war-make. They were expected to create many sparklings for use by the High Council.

One would think this mech would appreciate Starscream all the more due to his rarity. Well, one would be wrong. It was true that at first his father was pleased with what he saw. Starscream's creator was a Tank; a mere ground pounder. The idea of giving life to a Seeker was enthralling to the older mech. However, when he saw how weak little Starscream was and how irritating his voice was, the charm eventually wore off and he began to try to create another spark to replace him with.

Of course, since Starscream was his creator's only gift to the council the old mech pushed the little Seeker's training to its limit. Sometimes Starscream would go to his rudimentary school lessons leaking coolant and energon from his father's beatings and his own systems giving out on him. From birth he had been taught that his only purpose was to serve the council and that his mind wasn't made for anything more advanced than aiming his weapons.

When Starscream was fitted with his adult form he was expected to apply to the Vos Military Academy, but he didn't. He flew in the opposite direction to Iacon; the city of opportunity! He knew that was where the council seat was, and where the higher caste Cybertronians lived and worked. He would find his way to prominence.

That ambition had led him to the world of scientific pursuits and eventually a job as a stellar cartographer. Iacon University had been where he met his friend Skyfire and where they studied together and eventually became one of the most dynamic teams on staff. It was true that Starscream was never truly welcome there, but his hunger for adulation and knowledge would never allow such trifles as social consciousness to bother him. He and Skyfire were unstoppable!

Well, they were...Until  _that_  day.

Starscream heard the whispers around Iacon. Everyone was sure the 'bloodthirsty war-make' had killed Skyfire on some desolate planet where no one would ever find him. His honor should've been hurt, but he honestly didn't care anymore. He was so tired of living under the pedes of those bureaucrats in the High Council! His father had been nothing but a tool for their use, and that's all they wanted him to be too! Skyfire had been the only half-decent mech he had ever met and now he was gone. Starscream felt dead inside and wanted something to make him feel alive again!

That something came in the form of Megatron. Starscream was impressed by the insatiable appetite for change burning within Megatron's spark! He spoke of overthrowing the council and uniting the lower classes to take what they rightfully deserved! He spoke of uniting the universe under his banner! Starscream wanted nothing more than to be a part of that.

_Several Vorns Later..._

The council lay in ruins and their supporters, who called themselves  _Autobots_ , were scattered and nearly eradicated. Starscream was in command of the strike force that was sent to retaliate against an Autobot safe zone in Vos. He relished the opportunity to give payback to the Autobots for daring to try to control the skies where Seekers flew free!

Starscream was combing the streets of an Autobot neighborhood when he saw a very familiar Tank-Former digging through a scrap heap.

The old mech was stiff from acid rain getting into his joints. He had clearly been living outdoors for some time now. He wore no symbol. He wasn't with a faction. He was a neutral; an Empty. Where once his form had been blue, now it looked dull and grey.

The mech looked up at Starscream with wonder in his optics; as if he had seen a beautiful apparition. His helm quivered as he made his way to his creation. His frame rattled with each strained movement. The old fool was practically broken!

"Starscream…" His father whispered his name reverently as he approached, "You have no idea how pleased I am to see you!"

 _Pleased? Is he kidding?_  Starscream's thoughts turned from anger to disgust as he eyed the battered form of his creator.

"Starscream, my son...I need your help desperately!" The Tank continued, "I wish to join the Decepticons. Please Starscream, help me! If you put in a good word for me then they will surely let me in. Please! I need protection! Vos will crumble to ruins, and I do not wish to be here when it happens."

That was when Starscream noticed it...There was a patch of paint on the older mech's right arm that was slightly brighter than the rest of his coat. It was where his Autobot symbol had once been.

Starscream saw what was going on now. His father had continued to support the council, but now that it was clear the Decepticons were winning he wanted to join them to save his own afterburners!

"So, you want my help?" Starscream asked innocently.

"Yes Starscream!" His creator replied adamantly, "Surely your faction could use more soldiers? You remember our training together, right, son? All the wonderful times we had? I'm also sure you remember how capable I am on the battlefield? Right, Starscream?"

"Yes, I remember perfectly," Starscream smiled as he spoke; as if indulging in the reminiscence, "I remember how you used to always say I was a failure and could never compare to your military prowess. I remember you ripping into my wings and then repairing the damage yourself rather than taking me to someone who actually knew what they were doing. Oh, and there was that hilarious incident when you tried to rip out my vocal processors because I was crying during one of our  _training sessions_."

The Tank-Former fidgeted at the overly-sweet tone Starscream was using as he spoke. Deep inside his spark, he knew this didn't bode well for him…

"I also remember staying up for orns on end because you felt my flight pattern wasn't good enough or wasn't fast enough," Starscream continued; not even looking at the uncomfortable mech he spoke to, "Whenever I would fail a maneuver you would beat my faceplate in, or break a ball joint in one of my knees, or threaten to offline me and replace me with a better model. You would say that repeatedly, Father. 'Some day I'll scrap you and use your body for a creation that isn't defective'. Oh, those were such  _happy_  times! I also remember begging for you to not hurt me. Begging for you to not kill me. Well, guess what? Now it's  _your_  turn…"

Starscream then set the null ray to its highest setting; the hum of the device nearly deafening amidst the quiet streets of the conquered Vos. He then pointed it to the shivering older mech.

"On your knees,  _Father."_

The Tank complied as quickly as his damages would allow. He stared up at his creation hoping that this was only a joke; hoping the Seeker would have his fun and then let him go. His miserable blue optics looked up at the focused red optics of his son and realized that no reprieve would come. There was nothing in those optics. Not anger, not sorrow, not even joy...Only contempt.

" _Please_ , Starscream! I'm sorry!" The Tank thought complying with what Starscream wanted might at least convince the Seeker to only take him prisoner instead of executing him, "I'll do anything to make it up to you! Just tell me what you want!"

"What I've always wanted, Father. To make you happy!"Starscream said in an eerily chipper tone, "All I ever wanted as a sparkling was your approval. Well, that and a crowbar to remove the dents. Anyway, you said you didn't want to be here when Vos is leveled to the ground, and I have decided to grant your wish. Maybe now you'll finally see me as something more than a failure!"

With that Starscream pressed the trigger of his null ray and evaporated part of his creator's chest! Starscream shrieked as he continued to fire; emptying his weapon on the empty shell!

A weird realization hit Starscream in that moment. Even though he had fought with the Decepticons for vorns, he had never actually killed an opponent before. His null rays were, for the most part, non-lethal. This was by design. He had always wanted to be seen as more than just a mindless war-make. He paralyzed Autobots on the battlefield but had always left the killing blow up to other Decepticons.

Now, though...He had finally taken a life, and it was his own father! Little did he realize how quickly one spark would become thousands. Little did he realize what kind of monster he had awakened in that moment. Nothing was ever good enough, and little by little he began to feel more empty as time went on. All because he couldn't forgive the mech that had stolen his sparklinghood.


	13. Decepticon, Roll out!

**Chapter 13**

**Decepticon, Roll Out!**

Optimus Prime felt like that last meeting with his fellow Autobots had aged him 10 vorns. It wasn't that Optimus had never lost comrades before, but he had not lost anyone since they arrived on earth; let alone Autobots as young as Bumblebee and First Aid.

They had spent hours discussing possible rescue strategies. At first they were only trying to save Bumblebee, but then during that last battle with the Decepticons First Aid had also been taken. The rest of the Protectobots were beyond depressed. They were a Gestalt unit; the closest bond a group of transformers could have. It was as if a part of them had been ripped away and smashed before their eyes! They felt his spark functioning, so at least the Autobots knew First Aid was still alive. Still, no one knew what became of Bumblebee.

After all was said and done, the Autobots still had few options. They could try to invade the Decepticon ship. That was their best option. Still, they still had several injured from the last fight, and the Nemesis was the fortified stronghold of Megatron's army. If they tried to force their way in, then the Autobots might lose even more of their friends to the Decepticons.

They also considered exchanging something valuable to the Decepticons for their teammates' safety. They realized the flaw in this plan as soon as it was spoken. The only thing they had that the Decepticons could want is information, and they couldn't allow Megatron to have anything that would weaken their ranks.

Smokescreen had even suggested paying off Swindle to help them retrieve their friends. That was a shoddy plan at best, as Swindle wasn't exactly the most powerful mech in the Combaticons; let alone in the Decepticons. Besides, Swindle would likely never do something that would put him in Megatron's line of fire.

All these thoughts and more were swirling in Optimus Prime's processor when he got a comm transmission from the central control room.

"Optimus Prime. This is Prowl. We have a Decepticon sighting."

"Where is it, Prowl?" Optimus asked; thinking it was a raid on a human settlement.

"I have a confirmed sighting of a Decepticon flying over the Ark," Prowl replied.

Just then, a blast shook the entire ship! Optimus swerved but didn't fall over. The poor mech in the next room wasn't so lucky, and Optimus could tell from the way it cursed that it was Huffer.

"Prowl!" Optimus shouted into his comm; worried the control room might have taken the brunt of the hit.

"I'm alright, Prime," Prowl replied stoically, "We have a confirmed attack on the Ark by the Decepticon Thundercracker. What are your orders?"

 _Only Thundercracker?_ Optimus thought.  _That's odd. Why would a single Decepticon try to attack our fortress alone?_

Optimus then opened his comm signal to every Autobot on the base and said "This is Optimus Prime! We are under attack! Autobots, form a defensive perimeter around the base and engage the enemy! Let's roll out!"

* * *

 

Thundercracker allowed himself a devious smirk as he saw the Autobots scrambling around the Ark like a colony of little ants. Normally Thundercracker didn't enjoy his missions. Then again, he normally didn't get the chance to think up his own plans. This was going to be fun!

The golden laser fire decorated the night sky like fireworks, but Thundercracker was too fast for them! He might not have had Starscream's agility, but he was still a Seeker, and in his mind a mediocre Seeker beat the best ground pounder any day! He could see their confusion and frustration, and this fueled his resolve and made his task even more enjoyable.

"Sideswipe, execute maneuver 12!" He heard Sunstreaker shout to his red painted twin, "No, not yet! Wait until he's closer to the ground!"

Thundercracker chuckled when he saw Sideswipe flip too early to catch him and fall right on his faceplate! The Lamborghini cursed under his breath, and Sunstreaker went to help him up.

The wind blew through his arched wings, and Thundercracker felt more alive than he had in ages! Everything was going perfectly!

Just then, Jazz landed a sonic blast right in Thundercracker's path, and the blue and grey Decepticon covered his audio processors to avoid damaging them. While he was distracted, Bluestreak fired on his back right where his wings met; the most sensitive part of his anatomy!

Thundercracker was losing control, but he wasn't done yet! He let out a sonic boom that shook the ground and broke every port hole on the Ark! Several Autobots fell to the ground with the impact. Well, it served them right for trying to damage his hearing during the skirmish.

Still, Thundercracker was too low to the ground, and this allowed Sunstreaker and Sideswipe to flip over and ram right into him! They pounded the still tender spot on his wings to immobilize him, and soon Thundercracker was surrounded by Autobots pointing blasters at his helm!

"Let's vaporize him!" Sideswipe suggested with gusto.

"No," Optimus Prime replied firmly, "Take him to the brig. We need to question him."

Two rough sets of Autobot servos hefted the Seeker up by his armpits and forced him to walk to the Ark. Thundercracker had lost the skirmish and was now a prisoner of the dreaded Autobots. Many Decepticons would rather be deactivated than face the unknown number of tortures the Autobots could deliver. Thundercracker, however, had been a prisoner of the Autobots before, and he knew the wild stories were mostly untrue. He knew they wouldn't torture him. In this case, he knew they wouldn't even kill him.

Thundercracker smiled as he was carried away. His plan had worked perfectly.

* * *

 

The half an orn had ended. It must have, because this was the first time Bumblebee and First Aid had seen Starscream since his betrayal, and he was smiling wider than the Cheshire Cat. First Aid looked terrified, but Bumblebee only looked defiant and angry.

The energy bars to the cages opened, and two more guards (Rumble and Frenzy) flanked Starscream.

"Get out," Starscream ordered; all traces of mirth gone, "It's time."

The two Autobots were forced to walk in front of the Decepticons as weapons were trained on their backs and nothing but cold purple walls surrounded them. First Aid listened to the clanking footsteps as they resonated in the steel hallways while Bumblebee wondered about his fellow Autobots and his human friends. He never got to say goodbye, and they would never know how sorry he was for leaving them like this. After Starscream had spent two weeks trashing his reputation Bumblebee wondered if his friends would even miss him...or would they just remember him as a traitor?

They entered a room the Constructicons used for their experiments. There were many machines and chemical mixtures in the room. Scrapper seemed to be taking inventory as he read over a data pad, and Mixmaster was eyeing them with a sick sort of anticipation.

"Starscream Starscream Starscream!" Mixmaster greeted his superior officer gleefully as he rushed over to look at the Autobots, "The crusher is ready ready ready!"

"Perfect," Starscream purred, "Any last words, Autobots?"

Neither of them said a word. First Aid was too terrified to speak, and Bumblebee was too enraged to even talk to this Decepticon scumbag!

"Very well then," Starscream shrugged, "Mixmaster, pick whichever one you want!"

Mixmaster then roughly grabbed Bumblebee and forced the struggling Autobot to walk with him over to the crushing machine! Bumblebee tried to fight back with his last bit of energy, but he knew it was pointless. They were surrounded, and he was too low on fuel. The Decepticons had refused to feed them, and now it was coming back to haunt him.

First Aid started screaming at the Decepticons to let Bumblebee go, but they would not listen to him. Starscream wasn't even looking at him. He was looking out at the wall in a way that every Cybertronian knew meant he was on the comm.

When the transmission ended, Starscream huffed indignantly and roughly turned around to face the Constructicon and his baleful victim.

"Mixmaster!" Starscream shouted just as Bumblebee was dangling over the mouth of the crusher, "Pull him back in! Megatron has ordered the Autobots back to the brig!"

"Aw, come on, Starscream!" Mixmaster protested, "I just got this thing working working working!"

"You mean  _I_  just got this thing working!" Scrapper interjected.

"Whatever!" Starscream snapped, "Just bring me that Autobot! We don't want Megatron to have to come down here, do we?"

The Constructicons shifted uncomfortably and quickly shook their helms  _no_. They were still trying to find Scavenger's thumb and didn't need any more trouble from Megatron. Mixmaster brought Bumblebee back, and soon the Autobots were escorted back to the brig again.

Bumblebee was grateful to still be alive, but he didn't understand why he was. Why did Megatron want them alive? What was he  _planning_?


	14. A Part of Me

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> You have reached the final chapter of the fic. Thank you so much for sticking with it this far! I know my writing wasn't up to my current standard when I first wrote this fic in 2016, and I have learned more about TF since then (like the science academy being in Iacon, not Polyhex). Still, this fic holds a sentimental value to me, so I'm glad you read it and I hope you liked it too :)

**Chapter 14**

**A Part of Me**

The Decepticons had just returned to the Nemesis with Thundercracker in tow. He didn't seem too beat up after his encounter with the Autobots. Skywarp kept asking him why he would do something as stupid as taking on the entire Autobot fleet by himself. Thundercracker just shrugged and said he was bored.

Thundercracker could never tell them the real reason he allowed himself to be captured. Not even his best friend Skywarp would understand that in a moment of weakness he felt pity for the young Autobots.

Deep inside, despite all of the horrible things he had done in his career as a member of the aerial elite, Thundercracker was still a warrior with principles. Bumblebee had looked at him with wise understanding optics. He had looked into Thundercracker's soul and realized the shame this Decepticon felt inside. Despite that he had still spoken kindly to him, and had even wished for Thundercracker's survival in a moment when the Autobot's own survival wasn't even worthy to be a pipe dream. It was a rash decision, and one that Thundercracker likely would not make twice, but even now he couldn't say he regretted it.

"So TC, you wanna get some energon in the rec room?" Skywarp asked, "I got this great story about a prank I pulled on Brawl while he was recharging!"

"Sounds great," Thundercracker smiled as he walked side by side with his trine brother, "After that I'll tell you about this fighter jet I shot down 3 orns ago."

* * *

 

Megatron had released the prisoners! This was a nightmare! Starscream tried with all his cunning and might to kill those Autobots, and yet they survived! He had shared his most closely guarded secret with them in their final moments as a way to forge a twisted sort of closeness with his new frenemy, but that slagging Autobot would live to tell others about Starscream's first betrayal!

Oh well, no matter. Megatron was eager for the information about the Autobots' weaknesses, and thanks to his infiltration of Teletran I he would be able to please his tyrannical master. Starscream had played this perfectly. He would say that he gathered the information from the 'torture sessions' he had with the Autobots, and therefore never have to reveal his latest secret; that he had been forced to live as a filthy Autobot.

Megatron summoned him forth with an expectant look on his silver face. Starscream smiled and bowed slightly. He knew this information would be crucial to eradicating the Autobots and would make the rest of the Decepticons see him as a leader worth following. Then he could soon be rid of Megatron once and for all!

"Well, Starscream," Megatron drawled, "Tell me all that you have learned of the enemy."

"Of course, Lord Megatron," Starscream somehow even managed to sound sarcastic when he was doing obeisance to Megatron, "There was too much information to commit to memory, so I downloaded everything onto this disc…"

Starscream then started rooting around in his subspace looking for that orange disc containing all of his enemy's secrets. He searched and searched, but couldn't find it. Megatron was growing more impatient with Starscream's display as the Seeker tried to locate his treasure.

Then, that's when a cryptic thought suddenly hit him…

 _Uh oh...I left it in my other subspace_ … Starscream realized with dread that he had stolen the disc when he was still Bumblebee, and therefore Bumblebee had the disc!  _Oh, scrap_!

"Um, Lord Megatron, sir, I seem to have... _Misplaced_  the disc…" Starscream stammered.

" _STARSCREAM_!"

* * *

 

Bumblebee and First Aid were returned to Autobot Headquarters and were greeted by the relieved voices and loving arms of their friends and colleagues. First Aid's Gestalt unit surrounded him and held him close to them; their brother finally safe with them once more!

"Are you okay, First Aid? Did those Deceptiscums hurt you?" Streetwise asked as he looked over his brother's chassis for signs of visible injury.

"Starscream rearranged my wires," First Aid admitted, "I was able to get most of them put back in place myself, but I probably will go to see Ratchet after I get settled in. I feel so violated! He just pushed me down and started ripping open my helm! If it weren't for the prisoner exchange we would've been executed in a crushing machine! I guess we were just lucky you guys captured a Decepticon or else we would've never seen this place again."

His brothers voiced their sympathy and anger over what was done to their brother. Bumblebee knew they wouldn't seek petty revenge, however. The Protectobots were some of the most level-headed mechs he had ever known. Even their combined form Defensor was reasonably intelligent; a real rarity for Gestalt units.

Bumblebee also knew that it was more than blind luck that saved them when he discovered the identity of the Decepticon prisoner. Ever since the day Bumblebee saw Thundercracker show mercy to those humans he knew there was a decent mech under all that posturing and cold weaponry.

As Bumblebee sat down on his berth in his own room his thoughts of the time he spent in Starscream's body swirled in his head. While it had been scary and he was definitely glad to be home, he had to admit to himself that he would never look at the Decepticons the same way again.

Bumblebee had been a soldier for 5 million years; for most of his existence, actually. He even spent 1 million of those years conscious! He had fought the tyranny of the Decepticons and had seen many things. He had seen bodies lying in the street, he had seen former neighbors turn on each other just for the chance to function another orn, and countless other horrors. One thing Bumblebee always thought he could count on though was the integrity of the Autobot cause.

The time living as a Decepticon, however, taught him something about himself. He was not incorruptible. He too would do dangerous, degrading, and vile things just to survive another orn. He also discovered that not every mech that joined Megatron was a mindless sparkless drone that enjoyed killing. They had feelings, thoughts, and desires beyond their cause.

There were the Reflectors. He didn't ask why they joined the Decepticons, but the answer was obvious. They wanted protection. Sadly all they found was more pain, but at the time it had probably seemed like a good idea to join the strongest side of the war. They crawled in the shadows and waited for orders from their master in the vain hope of surviving to see the war end.

Then there was Thundercracker. He was proud, arrogant, and had a higher kill rate than Bumblebee could count. Yet, despite all that, he was capable of mercy. How the little scout wished he could've asked Thundercracker what possessed him to join Megatron and harm his fellow Cybertronians. He also wondered why Thundercracker was best friends with Skywarp. Skywarp was a trickster and a sociopath. He was also apparently as much of a drunk as Trailbreaker! Bumblebee would have to find Trailbreaker and let him know he didn't blame him for what happened.

Bumblebee also learned something about Starscream...It just wasn't what he thought he would learn.

Starscream led one of the loneliest existences on the Nemesis. It was his own fault. Starscream used lies, threats, and force to ensure his own power, but in doing so he had alienated every other member of the crew. Even his own trine, which was the closest thing to family for Starscream, didn't seem to care for him.

 _Family_...Starscream had told him that he killed his own father. Was it true? Or was Starscream just trying to use psychological warfare to intimidate the yellow mech? Then again, Starscream did say Megatron was like a father to him, and he was always trying to kill Megatron…

Ugh!  _Megatron_! That was another thing Starscream had to deal with! Despite being the second in command of the Decepticon fleet Starscream was often treated as the designated whipping boy for Megatron every time he was in a bad mood. Bumblebee would never excuse Starscream's actions, but in a sick sort of way he understood them. Bumblebee had to wonder...If Optimus Prime treated Bumblebee the way Megatron treated Starscream, then how would he view his leader? Would he try to overthrow Optimus, or would he cower in fear of such a violent warrior? Starscream did both at the same time, and Bumblebee at least understood why now.

There was a soft knock at Bumblebee's door, and Bumblebee opened the door with a voice command so he didn't have to get up from his berth. First Aid walked in with a small smile on his face and a bright purple cube in his hand.

"I thought you could use some energon," First Aid said as he handed Bee the cube, "I just wanted to check on you after...Well, you know."

"Yeah," Bumblebee nodded as he gratefully took the cube, "I don't think we should tell anyone about the processor swap. I know it's weird, but in a way it feels like it should stay private. I don't know...I guess I'm still embarrassed."

"I understand. It was a traumatic experience," First Aid replied consolingly, "I have to admit though, you were pretty convincing as Starscream."

"Gee, thanks  _a lot_!" Bumblebee replied sarcastically.

First Aid laughed at Bee's annoyed reaction and then sat down on the berth next to his friend. Bumblebee drank up the contents of the cube as they sat in amiable silence.

After a few minutes, Bumblebee finally said "Did you know the prisoner they exchanged was Thundercracker?"

"No, I didn't," First Aid replied, "So?"

"So, I think he did it on purpose...To help us," Bumblebee explained, "I know you won't believe this, but after living as Starscream for two weeks, I saw a different side to that mech. He spared the lives of some of the humans in that village that was attacked, he broke up fights between Skywarp and other Decepticons...He even played a hilarious prank on Skywarp where he laced an energy net over the other Seeker's entrance and waited for him to walk right into it and get lifted up in the air! It was hilarious!"

"Wow, I wish I could've seen  _that_!" First Aid laughed.

"Hey, you can!" Bumblebee remembered, "Thundercracker gave me a photo of it and…" As Bumblebee rooted around in his subspace, he realized something, "Oh, darn it! Starscream has it in  _his_ subspace!"

"Yeah, and he's probably using it to blackmail Skywarp as we speak!" First Aid joked, "After all, you got to use his last piece of blackmail material."

Bumblebee smiled and laughed easily with his good friend. He knew they would be closer after having experienced yet another horror of war together. Of course, the scout knew First Aid wasn't the only one he was closer to now. As much as he still hated Starscream, and as much as he wished he could forget everything that had happened to him, Bumblebee knew he would never be the same. Starscream's life and the loneliness that came with it was lodged in his processor forever. Like it or not, it would always be a part of him.

**The End**


End file.
